There were dramatic scenes in Serie A on Friday night when Udinese’s Lorenzo Lucca disregarded orders by taking a penalty, much to the chagrin of his teammates and management. Despite scoring the 32nd-minute penalty, the 24-year-old was promptly replaced.
Udinese’s Florian Thauvin was scheduled to take the penalty, but Lucca took matters into his own hands. His teammates tried unsuccessfully to prevent him from accepting the penalty. Lucca stepped up and hammered the ball past Leece custodian Wladimiro Falcone. His teammates, however, did not join him in celebrating the goal.
Udinese manager Kosta Runjaic immediately hauled Lucca off and replaced him with Spanish forward Iker Bravo. Runjaic explained after the match that Lucca’s decision to ignore internal ‘hierarchies’ was the cause for his withdrawal.
Kosta Runjaic explains why Lucca was substituted: “We have clear hierarchies.”
“We have clear hierarchies with penalty kicks,” Runjaic noted, as cited by Football Italia. “I didn’t enjoy the discussion; they talked for a long time, he made the decision on his own, and I preferred to take him off the pitch after he took the penalty, which he shot really well.
“It is also not the first time two teammates have battled over who gets to take a set piece. We will absolutely discuss this during the week.
“I made this decision because I dislike those who do not follow the rules, therefore I had to take action. However, this will all be resolved after training, and we will concentrate on our next match.”
Footage from the incident
Lucca did not listen to his teammates.
Footage of the incident, which has now gone viral on social media, shows several of Lucca’s teammates, including former Arsenal and Manchester United winger Alexis Sanchez, moving away from the ball. However, Lucca was clearly not in the mood to listen. Watch the video below.
https://twitter.com/RSharmzz/status/1893039945029210520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1893039945029210520%7Ctwgr%5Ecb9e9043e2ea6c1082b88be7e91ec0a9865ab698%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.givemesport.com%2Fudinese-players-try-to-stop-lorenzo-lucca-taking-penalty-in-wild-serie-a-scenes%2F
Udinese won the match 1-0, owing to Lucca’s disputed first-half goal, and the players posed for a jubilant photo afterward at Leece’s Stadio Via del mare. However, Lucca could be seen in the background, looking guilty, while the rest of his comrades smiled broadly.
https://twitter.com/IFTVofficial/status/1893109302660944275?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1893109302660944275%7Ctwgr%5Ecb9e9043e2ea6c1082b88be7e91ec0a9865ab698%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.givemesport.com%2Fudinese-players-try-to-stop-lorenzo-lucca-taking-penalty-in-wild-serie-a-scenes%2F
Udinese’s victory keeps them 10th in the Serie A league. It remains to be seen whether Lucca will face any punishment for his activities.
