Udinese manager Kosta Runjaic has praised Super Eagles goalkeeper Maduka Okoye following the club’s 3-0 defeat to Lecce in Serie A on Sunday, expressing confidence in the Nigerian despite the team’s disappointing performance.
Okoye retained his place in goal despite coming under scrutiny for a costly mistake in Udinese’s previous league match against Torino, which resulted in the decisive goal.
The 27-year-old responded with several important saves against Lecce, preventing further damage as Udinese suffered their fifth consecutive defeat in the Italian top flight.
Goals from Gaspar, Konan N’Dri and Jamil Siebert secured a comfortable victory for Lecce, leaving Udinese with more questions to answer after another difficult outing.
Despite the scoreline, Okoye produced several notable interventions. The Super Eagles goalkeeper denied N’Dri and Kaba clear scoring opportunities and also made important saves against Geubbels, including a crucial stop in a one-on-one situation.
Speaking after the match, Runjaic acknowledged that his team had fallen short of expectations but singled out Okoye for his contribution.
“Except for Davis and Alaba in the first half, the team didn’t show its best side, and we made numerous mistakes. Okoye also played well and contributed,” Runjaic said at his post-match press conference.
“Nevertheless, in general terms, success and failure are collective experiences. I did not expect a game of this nature.”
The Udinese manager’s comments underline his continued backing of Okoye despite the pressure surrounding the goalkeeper following his recent error.
Okoye has featured in eight matches for Udinese in all competitions this season. His only clean sheet came in the Coppa Italia clash against Padova on August 15.
With Udinese struggling for results, the Nigerian international will be hoping to build on his performance against Lecce and help his team turn their form around in the coming matches.