Parma and Udinese played out a goalless draw in their Serie A clash on Wednesday, with both sides missing opportunities to secure a crucial victory in their battle to move away from the relegation zone.
The encounter at the Stadio Ennio Tardini saw Udinese create more scoring chances, but Parma goalkeeper Giovanni Daffara produced important saves while the hosts also missed a penalty.
Udinese, who had suffered six consecutive defeats before the match, came close to taking the lead through Nicolò Zaniolo, who curled an effort narrowly wide of the far top corner during his first start in more than a month.
The visitors continued to threaten, with Hassane Kamara and Jesper Karlström both attempting efforts that missed the target.
Parma also had opportunities, as Franco Carboni failed to direct his header on target from a Sascha Britschgi cross.
Udinese maintained their attacking pressure after the break, but Parma defender Mariano Troilo produced a crucial block to divert Keinan Davis’ close-range effort wide of the goal.
Parma were then handed a golden opportunity to break the deadlock in the 69th minute after Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye failed to deal with a corner, allowing Troilo’s subsequent effort to strike James Abankwah’s arm.
However, Adrián Bernabé failed to capitalise on the opportunity, as Okoye saved his penalty to make amends for his earlier mistake.
Udinese continued searching for a winner in the closing stages, with Jürgen Ekkelenkamp coming close after meeting a cross from close range.
Troilo, however, cleared the ball off the goal line to deny the visitors.
Daffara also made a crucial point-blank save to keep out Unai Gómez’s effort, ensuring Parma held on for a share of the points.
The result offered little relief to either team, as both continued to struggle for consistency in a tense relegation battle.
Udinese’s inability to convert their numerous chances proved costly, while Parma were left to rue Bernabé’s missed penalty.
