Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye has received praise from teammate Nicolò Zaniolo after his penalty save helped end the club’s six-match losing streak in Serie A with a 0-0 draw against Parma on Wednesday.
The Nigeria international denied Adrian Bernabé from the spot in the 69th minute at the Stadio Ennio Tardini to earn Kosta Runjaic’s side a valuable point after a difficult run of results.
Okoye had earlier failed to hold a corner, with the ball striking teammate James Abankwah’s arm to concede a penalty. However, the 26-year-old redeemed himself by keeping out Bernabé’s effort.
The save earned Okoye the Man of the Match award and secured his first clean sheet in Serie A this season. He had conceded 18 goals in nine league appearances before the game.
Zaniolo praised the goalkeeper for his contribution, saying he had rescued Udinese on several occasions.
“It’s not the first time Maduka has saved us. I love him; he’s a good person and a fantastic goalkeeper. Today, thanks to him, we broke our losing streak and got a point away from home that moves us up the table. Now we have to focus on Roma,” Zaniolo told Udinese’s official website.
Okoye welcomed the result but insisted that the team had already shifted its attention to the next fixture.
“We always want to win, and we need points. Today we got one, and that’s fine. Now we’re immediately focusing on the next one. The penalty save was pure instinct,” he said.
The goalkeeper also blamed injuries, including the absence of Zaniolo, for contributing to the club’s recent struggles.
“We’ve been unlucky in these games, and we’ve also been missing players like Zaniolo, whose importance we saw today,” Okoye added.
Zaniolo acknowledged that injuries and individual errors had contributed to Udinese’s poor start to the campaign but remained optimistic about their prospects.
“We’ve gotten off to a poor start to the season, partly due to injuries and partly due to a few too many mistakes, but we have a long road ahead, and with a full squad, we can have a great season,” he said.
The Italian forward also credited former Italy manager Roberto Mancini with helping to launch his career as he works towards regaining his best form.
“I’m always in touch with coach Mancini; he launched me, and I owe everything to him. I’m happy to be back on the pitch; now I have to find my best form,” Zaniolo said.
Udinese will face Roma in their next match as they look to build on the draw.
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