Udinese came to the U-Power Stadium and won 3-2 against Monza, and the match was effectively decided before the half-time whistle — three goals in the space of fourteen minutes constructing a lead that Ivan Jurić's side could only partially dismantle.

The opening exchanges were level until the 32nd minute, when Udinese midfielder Jakub Piotrowski converted with an assist from Hassane Kamara to give the visitors the opener. Monza responded quickly: five minutes later, home midfielder Andrea Colpani levelled with Ricardo Mangas providing the assist, and for a moment the U-Power Stadium had a contest on its hands. What followed instead was a collapse. Udinese midfielder Hassane Kamara — who had assisted the first goal — scored himself on the stroke of half-time to restore the lead, and then, in the third minute of added time, Udinese midfielder Jürgen Ekkelenkamp added a third. Monza walked into the interval trailing 1-3, having conceded twice in the final moments of a half they had briefly appeared to be shaping.

Ekkelenkamp is the figure this match will be remembered through. His goal at 45+3' was the decisive one — the margin that Monza's second-half effort could not close — and it arrived at the worst possible moment for Jurić's side, when the psychological damage of conceding once had not yet been absorbed before a second blow landed. Kosta Runjaić's Udinese had already shown composure in their opening Serie A fixture, drawing 1-1 against Como, and here they demonstrated something more purposeful: the ability to turn a brief period of pressure into a three-goal cushion.

Monza's response after the interval was genuine. Jurić made a double substitution at the 54th minute, introducing Ebenezer Akinsanmiro and Michael Folorunsho, and the changes had an immediate effect: Monza forward Gustavo Varela scored at 63', assisted by Akinsanmiro, to make it 2-3 and give the home side a platform for a final push. Lorenzo Lucchesi had already been booked at 46' and was withdrawn at 61', which further complicated Monza's defensive reorganisation. Despite the momentum, the equaliser never came. Udinese managed the final half-hour without conceding, and the scoreline held.

Monza's problem was structural as much as it was tactical. The home side had already conceded four goals in a 4-1 defeat at Inter in their opening Serie A fixture, and here they shipped three more — seven goals against across their first two league matches. The brief period of parity after Colpani's equaliser suggested the capacity to compete, but the inability to protect that moment, and the manner in which Udinese scored twice before the referee's whistle, points to a fragility that Jurić will need to address quickly. Conceding in the final seconds of a half is one thing; doing so twice in the same passage of play is a pattern that demands attention.

Across their last three matches — spanning Serie A and Coppa Italia — Monza have collected three points from a possible nine, scoring six and conceding seven. Udinese across the same window have taken seven points from nine, scoring five and conceding three. The Friulani arrive at this result with momentum; Monza do not.

A month from now, this match will be remembered as the afternoon Udinese's first-half ruthlessness — three goals, no yellow cards, a clean tactical execution — exposed just how exposed Monza remain at the back.