Serie A: Cremonese Stay in Relegation Fight with Victory at Udinese

Cremonese win at Udinese to take relegation battle to final day

Cremonese secured a 1-0 win at Udinese to keep their survival hopes alive, but remain a point behind Lecce heading into the last matchday.

Vardy strikes as Cremonese beat Udinese to keep survival hopes alive...

Jamie Vardy scored again as Cremonese beat Udinese 1-0 away to keep their survival hopes alive until the final day. The win was their second in a row, but it wasn’t enough to lift them out of the relegation zone. They go into the last matchday a point behind Lecce.

Cremonese came into the game with rare momentum after thrashing Pisa 3-0 last week, and they carried that into a strong start here.

The visitors created several chances before taking the lead in the ninth minute. Vardy showed his composure to turn in the rebound after Maduka Okoye had parried Federico Bonazzoli’s shot into his path.

It was the 39-year-old’s second opening goal in as many weeks, and the fourth time in his last five goals that he has scored inside the first 35 minutes.

Udinese were sluggish in the first half and never found their rhythm. Things got worse when a penalty they were awarded for Sebastiano Luperto’s foul on Christian Kabasele was overturned by VAR for offside in the buildup.

The hosts looked flat in the opening 45 minutes, but they came out after halftime with more urgency. Clear chances were still hard to come by, and Cremonese looked nervous at times as they tried to protect their one-goal lead.

Udinese’s push for an equalizer looked to be derailed when Hassane Kamara was shown a red card for a high challenge on Jamie Vardy after arriving late to a 50-50 ball. The decision was quickly overturned, and the card was downgraded to yellow.

A crucial three points on the road for Cremonese! 👌#UdineseCremonese pic.twitter.com/RFnqUSj4Qz

— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) May 17, 2026

Marco Giampaolo’s side steadied after that and survived another scare when Adam Buksa’s equalizer was ruled out for a string of fouls in the buildup.

Oumar Solet’s long-range shot forced Emil Audero into a late save, but Cremonese held on. The 1-0 win was their first Serie A victory over Udinese in 41 years. However, Lecce’s late winner against Sassuolo means Cremonese are still a point from safety going into their final day match against Champions League-chasing Como.

Jamie Vardy is the Panini Player of the Match! 🏆#UdineseCremonese pic.twitter.com/eGNsv9qn5k

— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) May 17, 2026

Udinese missed the chance to move above Lazio with the defeat. They have now won just three of their 10 home games this season against teams below them in the table.