Runjaic: ‘Another big mistake, like against Cagliari’ as Udinese slump to fourth straight defeat

UDINE, ITALY - MARCH 01: Manager of Udinese Kosta Runjaic during the Serie A match between Udinese and Parma at Stadio Friuli on March 01, 2025 in Udine, Italy. (Photo by Timothy Rogers/Getty Images)

Kosta Runjaic took responsibility after another costly mistake condemned Udinese to a 2-1 defeat at Torino, their fourth straight loss.

With quotes via TuttoMercatoWeb, the Udinese coach compared the decisive error from goalkeeper Maduka Okoye to the one that cost his side against Cagliari before the international break.

“I’m always optimistic, that’s my approach to life,” Runjaic said. “We lost because of a big mistake, like against Cagliari. As head coach, I’m responsible too. It was a lack of communication and perception, and with mistakes like these you end up losing games.”

Substitute Sandro Kulenovic punished a goalkeeping error to win it for Torino midway through the second half, after Jurgen Ekkelenkamp had cancelled out Daniel Bragança’s opener before the interval.

Runjaic: ‘We have to encourage one another’

Runjaic also lamented his side’s lack of cutting edge, and pointed out that Torino’s opener came from a set piece.

“We didn’t score or create many chances. The defensive error is costly, but Torino’s first goal also came from a set piece. Congratulations to Torino. I’ll try to keep the team united and morale high. In the end, the result is that we lost, and we have to get through this moment by encouraging one another.”

Udinese remain on four points, but Runjaic took encouragement from the performances of Oumar Solet and Ekkelenkamp.

“Every game brings positives. There’s the return of Solet, who showed how important he is. Ekkelenkamp also confirmed his qualities, and now we’re waiting for a lot of players to come back.”

David Alaba made his debut off the bench with 18 minutes remaining. Before kick-off, Runjaic had explained that the former Real Madrid defender needed careful management after three months without a competitive game.