Parma 0-0 Udinese

Neither Parma nor Udinese were able to put an end to their dismal runs of form as they recorded a goalless draw.

Parma played for an hour with only 10 men after Daniele Galloppa was sent off while Nicola Amoruso had a penalty saved midway through the first half, but neither side managed to find the back of the net in front of just 15,000 fans at the Stadio Tardini.

The result leaves Udinese hovering above the bottom three and sees Parma lose further ground on the clubs challenging for a place in Europe next season.

Parma were looking for their first win of 2010 after two consecutive defeats while Udinese have to go back even further to find their last victory, which came against Livorno at the end of November.

Since then, they have been beaten three times, lost coach Pasquale Marino and drawn their first game under new boss Gianni De Biasi, and remain too close to the relegation zone for comfort.

The confidence levels on both sides were therefore understandably low, and the spectacle failed to materialise.

Parma started brightly enough, but after they lost Galloppa to a red card in the 31st minute, they knew their task was to merely hold on for a draw.

And that proved to be easier than expected as Udinese, despite ending the game with five strikers on the field, failed to take full advantage of their numerical superiority and demonstrated why they have only scored 20 goals so far this season.

Antonio Di Natale has accounted for 12 of those goals and he had the first chance of the game in the 19th minute when he had the whole goal to aim at from a low, right-wing cross, but he only got a tentative touch to the ball and sent it wide of the far post.

Parma had the chance to go ahead five minutes later when Cristian Zapata fouled Blerim Dzemaili inside the penalty area, but Samir Handanovic was Udinese's hero as he pushed Amoruso's spot-kick against the post and got up to collect the rebound.

Galloppa then received his marching orders for a foul as the last man on Alexis Sanchez as he broke towards Antonio Mirante's goal.

But Udinese rarely threatened Mirante with Simone Pepe missing one of their best chances on the hour mark, heading just wide of the post from close range.

Mirante then denied Sanchez who had been put through on goal before substitute Bernardo Corradi headed against the outside of the post with the last chance of the game in the 87th minute.