Super Eagles goalkeeper Maduka Okoye endured a difficult evening as Udinese battled back from two goals down to claim a 3-2 victory over newly promoted Parma on Monday night, a result that sent them to the top of the Serie A table.
Despite Udinese's resurgence in the second half, Okoye's performance was below the high standards he has set this season. The German-born shot-stopper struggled throughout the encounter, conceding twice within the first half as Parma surged to an early lead. Enrico Del Prato opened the scoring after just two minutes, capitalizing on Udinese's static defense from a corner, and Ange-Yoan Bonny added a second just before halftime.
However, Udinese turned things around after the break. Lorenzo Lucca headed home a cross from Hassane Kamara early in the second half, while a red card for Parma's Keita in the 73rd minute gave Udinese the momentum they needed. Florian Thauvin scored twice, including the winner, to seal the victory.
Okoye’s night in numbers
Despite his team's comeback, Okoye had a tough outing in goal. The 25-year-old managed just one save and struggled with his distribution, completing only three of eight long balls. He faced nine shots throughout the game and finished with a disappointing Sofascore rating of 6.2, a steep drop from the 7.4 and 7.6 ratings he posted in his first three matches of the season.
Okoye’s season had been solid up to this point, with three clean sheets and a 1.0 goal conceded per game ratio. However, Monday night’s performance fell short of those earlier standards, marking a low point in an otherwise strong start to the campaign.
