Super Eagles goalkeeper Maduka Okoye praised his Udinese teammates and the club’s supporters after producing a standout performance in their 1-1 draw with Como in their opening Serie A fixture of the season, Nigeriasoccernet.com reports.
Okoye was named Man of the Match after making five crucial saves to help Udinese secure a point at home.
Udinese took the lead before the half-hour mark when Hassane Kamara raced onto Jürgen Ekkelenkamp’s pass before lifting the ball over Jean Butez and into an empty net.
Como drew level after the break when Okoye initially denied Trevoh Chalobah with an excellent save from his header. However, the Nigerian goalkeeper was powerless to stop Tasos Douvikas from converting the rebound.
Okoye was called into action again shortly afterwards, producing another impressive save to prevent Douvikas from completing the comeback.
Reflecting on the result, the Super Eagles goalkeeper acknowledged the quality of the opposition while expressing satisfaction with the point.
“It’s an important point; we played against a strong team, and we are happy. We entered the field to win, but in the end a point is fine,” Okoye said, according to Udinese’s official website.
The 26-year-old also played down his individual contribution, insisting the result was the product of a collective effort.
“I’m glad to help the team with my saves, but it’s the team that played a great game today. We are all happy.”
Okoye was particularly appreciative of the home support, highlighting the role played by the Udinese fans throughout the encounter.
“Starting over at home in front of our fans is beautiful; they helped us a lot. They are very important to us; we are grateful to have fans like that.”
The draw was Udinese’s second competitive match of the campaign after their 1-0 victory over Padova in the Coppa Italia first round last weekend.
Udinese will return to action next weekend away to Monza, with Okoye hoping to maintain his impressive start to the new Serie A season.