Denis a menace for Udinese

German Denis netted both goals as Atalanta ended a run of three straight defeats with a 2-0 home triumph over Udinese.

German Denis netted both goals as Atalanta ended a run of three successive defeats with a 2-0 home triumph over Udinese. Denis opened the scoring in first-half stoppage time and the Argentinian striker doubled his account for the match in the 63rd minute to secure Atalanta's second victory of the season. Udinese came into the fixture buoyed by their 1-0 over Genoa last time out but they were forced onto the back foot early on in Bergamo with goalkeeper Ivan Kelava called on to produce fine stops to deny Stefano Lucchini and Guglielmo Stendardo. The visitors finally gave Atalanta's defence something to worry about in the 21st minute when a superb counter-attack fashioned a great chance for Maicosuel, only for the unmarked Brazilian to miss the target at the far post. That was a rare threat from Udinese in the opening period, and Atalanta might have been celebrating the lead earlier on but for Kelava who made two more brilliant stops to keep out shots from Maximiliano Moralez and Denis in quick succession. Kelava was powerless to prevent Denis giving Atalanta a deserved lead just before the interval though, as the much-travelled 32-year-old turned the ball home from close range. Atalanta survived a scare at the start of the second half when the referee awarded a penalty to Udinese, only to reverse his decision after consulting his assistant who had put his flag up for an offside. Not long after that Atalanta put the game beyond their opponents when a quick break resulted in Denis drilling home his second of the match. Denis went in search of his hat-trick and tried his luck from outside the box in the 70th minute, but his shot went harmlessly wide. Udinese were also off-target with long-range efforts from compatriots Maicosuel and Allan as they sought a lifeline, before Thomas Heurtaux spurned a gilt-edged chance in stoppage time when he fired wide of an empty net after Andrea Consigli had parried Nico Lopez's shot.