Olaleye IDOWU
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Super Eagles goalkeeper Maduka Okoye was hailed by Udinese manager Kosta Runjaic following the Bianconeri’s 3-0 loss to Lecce in Serie A on Sunday.The Nigerian goalkeeper faced considerable scrutiny after his mistake resulted in Torino’s decisive goal in their last league game.Runjaic expressed confidence in the 27-year-old despite Udinese’s unsatisfactory collective performance.Goals from Gaspar, Konan N’Dri and Jamil Siebert ensured that Lecce handed Udinese their fifth consecutive defeat in the Italian top flight, with Okoye retaining his place in goal despite his recent error.Okoye made several crucial saves despite Udinese’s heavy defeat against Lecce.The Super Eagles goalkeeper denied N’Dri and Kaba scoring opportunities while making additional saves against Geubbels, including a vital intervention in a one-on-one situation.After the match, Runjaic praised Okoye’s performance while acknowledging that his team had failed to meet expectations.“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.”Okoye has played eight matches for Udinese in all competitions this season, with his only clean sheet coming in the Coppa Italia match against Padova on August 15.
