Udinese opened their 2026-27 Coppa Italia campaign with a narrow but professional 1-0 victory over Padova at the Dacia Arena on Saturday night. The Serie A side needed a solitary goal to see off a stubborn Lega Pro opponent, avoiding extra time and booking their place in the next round of the competition.

Match overview

Playing in front of a sizable home crowd, Udinese controlled possession from the outset but found Padova well organised and disciplined out of possession. The visitors, competing in Italy's third tier, set up to frustrate and looked to hit on the counter-attack. The breakthrough finally arrived midway through the first half when Udinese converted a well-worked move from the right flank, producing a confident finish from close range.

Despite trailing, Padova refused to simply defend. They adjusted their shape after the interval and began to ask more questions of the Udinese back line, forcing a couple of routine saves and one particularly dangerous effort that flashed just wide of the post. In the end, however, the Serie A side's superior quality and game management saw them safely through.

Key moments

• 25' — Udinese strike: A neat exchange on the edge of the area opened up space for the home side, and the resulting finish gave the Padova goalkeeper little chance.
• 58' — Padova chance: The visitors carved out their best opportunity of the match, but the final shot lacked the power to beat the Udinese keeper.
• 83' — Late pressure: Padova pushed numbers forward in search of an equaliser, but Udinese defended their box with resolute clearances and saw out the remaining minutes comfortably.

What it means

For Udinese, the victory provides a positive start to their domestic cup campaign and offers valuable competitive minutes for squad players at the beginning of the season. Padova can take heart from a disciplined display that pushed a top-flight opponent all the way, but they leave the competition with pride intact.