Udinese 3 - 0 Novara Calcio - Di Natale on song for Udinese

Posted Sunday, October 23, 2011 by PA

Antonio Di Natale fired Udinese to the top of Serie A with two goals in a 3-0 win over Novara at the Stadio Friuli.

Luck was on his side as he opened the scoring in the 33rd minute, but his talent accounted for his second and Udinese's third in the 49th minute.

Maurio Domizzi was also on target for the hosts with his first goal of the season in the 39th minute.

Filippo Porcari missed the first chance of the game in the fifth minute, but his shot wide with the outside of his boot was about the closest the visitors came to scoring all afternoon.

Di Natale put the hosts in front in the 33rd minute thanks to the persistence of Pablo Armero down the left and also to a deflection off Matteo Centurioni, which helped the ball loop past Alberto Fontana in the Novara goal.

Di Natale was the provider of the second with a corner which was met by Domizzi at the near post, and his header looped over everybody else on its way into the far corner.

Goal number three was the pick of the bunch with Di Natale scoring his sixth of the season. He curled a 25-yard free-kick over the crossbar and into the top corner of Fontana's goal.

Di Natale then missed the chance to complete his hat-trick after an hour's play when he flashed his shot across and over the goal with only Fontana to beat.

However, there was no doubting Udinese's superiority as they moved clear at the top of the table with a comfortable victory.

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