MILAN (AP) — Beleaguered Fiorentina finally got its first Serie A win of the season after its opponent played nearly the entire match with 10 men.
Fiorentina eased to a 5-1 victory at home to Udinese, which had goalkeeper Maduka Okoye sent off with less than eight minutes on the clock.
It was Fiorentina’s first win in 16 league matches and saw the last-placed team cut the gap to safety to five points.
Midtable Udinese beat defending Serie A champion Napoli last weekend.
However, the visitors got off to the worst possible start as Okoye came rushing out of the penalty area and clattered into Moise Kean who was clear through on goal. The stopper, who also touched the ball with his arm, was shown a straight red card.
Fiorentina took the lead in the 21st minute when Nicolò Fagioli tapped a free kick towards Rolando Mandragora, who fired a low shot underneath Udinese’s replacement goalkeeper Răzvan Sava.
Albert Guðmundsson's fine strike and Cher Ndour's header put Fiorentina comfortably ahead at halftime.
Kean scored twice after the break, either side of Oumar Solet's consolation goal for Udinese.
Atalanta managed to snatch a 1-0 victory against 10-man Genoa, which saw red in very similar circumstances to Udinese.
Genoa goalkeeper Nicola Leali was sent off in the third minute for a foul on Atalanta forward Gianluca Scamacca.
Atalanta, as expected, dominated possession but Genoa — which looked far more dangerous with its chances — remarkably appeared to have held on for a draw before Isak Hien headed in a corner in the fourth minute of stoppages.
United States midfielder Yunus Musah made his first Serie A start for Atalanta since the second round on Aug. 29.
Genoa remained two points above safety.
A last-gasp equalizer from Stefano Moreo saw Pisa snatch a 2-2 draw at Cagliari.
Pisa inched to within three points of safety. Cagliari was left three points above the relegation zone.
Elsewhere, Torino won 1-0 at Sassuolo.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Fiorentina's Moise Kean celebrates with Fabiano Parisi after scoring the goal of 4-0 during the Serie A soccer match between Fiorentina and Udinese at the Artemio Franchi stadium, in Florence, Italy, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (Marco Bucco/LaPresse via AP)
Fiorentina's Fabiano Parisi, left, fight for the ball with Udinese's Jakub Piotrowski during the Serie A soccer match between Fiorentina and Udinese at the Artemio Franchi stadium, in Florence, Italy, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (Marco Bucco/LaPresse via AP)
Female rapper Nicki Minaj on Sunday made a surprise appearance at a gathering of conservatives in Arizona that was memorializing late activist Charlie Kirk, and used her time on stage to praise President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, calling them “role models” for young men.
The rap star was interviewed at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest convention by Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, about her newly found support for Trump — someone she had condemned in the past — and about her actions denouncing violence against Christians in Nigeria.
The female rapper's recent alignment with the Make America Great Again movement has caught some interest because of her past criticism of Trump even when the artist's own political ideology had been difficult to pin down. But her appearance Sunday at the flagship event for the powerful conservative youth organization may shore up her status as a MAGA acolyte.
Minaj mocked California Gov. Gavin Newsom, referring to him as New-scum, a nickname Trump gave him. Newsom, a Democrat, has 2028 prospects. Minaj expressed admiration for the Republican president and Vance, who received an endorsement from Erika Kirk despite the fact he has not said whether he will run for president. Kirk took over as leader of Turning Point.
“This administration is full of people with heart and soul, and they make me proud of them. Our vice president, he makes me ... well, I love both of them,” Minaj said. “Both of them have a very uncanny ability to be someone that you relate to.”
Last month, the artist shared a message posted by Trump on his Truth Social network about potential actions to sanction Nigeria saying the government is failing to rein in the persecution of Christians in the West African country. Experts and residents say the violence that has long plagued Nigeria isn’t so simply explained.
“Reading this made me feel a deep sense of gratitude. We live in a country where we can freely worship God,” Minaj shared on X. She was then invited to speak at a panel at the U.S. mission to the United Nations along with U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz and faith leaders.
Minaj said she was tired of being “pushed around,” and she said that speaking your mind with different ideas is controversial because “people are no longer using their minds.” Kirk thanked Minaj for being “courageous,” despite the backlash she is receiving from the entertainment industry for expressing support for Trump.
“I didn’t notice,” Minaj said. “We don’t even think about them.” Kirk then said “we don’t have time to. We’re too busy building, right?”
“We’re the cool kids,” Minaj said.
The Trinidadian-born rapper is best known for her hits “Super Freaky Girl,” “Anaconda” and “Starships.” She has been nominated for 12 Grammy Awards over the course of her career.
In 2018, Minaj was one of several celebrities condemning Trump’s zero-tolerance immigration policy that split more than 5,000 children from their families at the Mexico border. Back then, she shared her own story of arriving to the country at 5 years old, describing herself as an “illegal immigrant.”
“This is so scary to me. Please stop this. Can you try to imagine the terror & panic these kids feel right now?” she posted then on Instagram.
On Sunday on stage with Erika Kirk, Minaj said, “it’s OK to change your mind.”
Erika Kirk, left, and Nicki Minaj stand on stage during Turning Point USA's AmericaFest 2025, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)
Erika Kirk, left, and Nicki Minaj speak during Turning Point USA's AmericaFest 2025, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)
Nicki Minaj speaks during Turning Point USA's AmericaFest 2025, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)
