Runjaic: ‘A dark evening for Udinese, it’s not up to me to decide on my future’

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Kickjolly · AI-written · automatically reviewed · Football Italia ↗

Udinese coach Kosta Runjaic faced questions over his future after a 5-2 defeat at home against Roma, their seventh loss in eight league matches. Runjaic acknowledged a 'dark evening' for Udinese and admitted that his team should have defended better. He stated that his team 'gave everything' but it wasn't enough against a quality opponent like Roma. Udinese are now in 19th place on five points after 10 matches.

Runjaic's side were 4-0 down at half-time after conceding four goals, with Bryan Cristante, Rodrigo Mora, Donyell Maen, and Evan Ndicka scoring for Roma. Although Nicolo Zaniolo and Matteo Palma scored in the second half, Daniele Ghilardi put the result beyond doubt in injury time. Runjaic decided against making substitutions at half-time, reasoning that changing the team wouldn't have altered the game's outcome.

Despite the pressure, Runjaic remained calm and emphasized the need for his team to keep working together to change their situation. He acknowledged that his team played better in previous matches against Parma and Torino but lost the duels against Roma, leading to conceded goals. Runjaic insisted that it's 'not up to me to decide' whether he's the right person to lead Udinese out of their troubles.