Guidolin praises Zielinski after win over Lazio

Jaime Valdes (L) of Parma FC competes for the ball with Antonio Piotr Zielinski of Udinese.

Rome - Udinese head coach Francesco Guidolin has praised 18-year-old Piotr Zielinski after his side beat Lazio 1-0 in the Italian Serie A.

“I am very satisfied with the way the team played as we showed some excellent football made up of quick and complex passing moves,” said Guidolin Saturday, reports Xinhua.

This result allows Udinese to catch Lazio in the table on 51 points, putting them right back in the race for Europe.

“Lazio are having a great season and must be given the utmost respect as they never give in. We reached this game with a lot of gas in the tank and that allowed us to keep up the pressure on them constantly.”

Antonio di Natale scored a spectacular volley to decide the game, though 18-year-old Zielinski received a standing ovation from the crowd when he was substituted.

“Di Natale is a rare animal who can do things normal people cannot. I need him fresh in the box, so we can’t make him run too hard. When I saw Zielinski three years ago he was practically a child, so skinny and fragile but with two amazing feet. This is why I decided to work with him, as he has the stigmata of a champion.

“Everyone who works at Udinese ensure these lads learn the language and settle in, so these are the results. We observed him over these three years and he’s been working with us for a while. Perhaps that No.10 we had been looking for is being created in our own house,” he said.