Maduka Okoye: Super Eagles Goalkeeper Reacts After Conceding Five Goals Against Inter Milan
- Super Eagles goalkeeper Maduka Okoye spoke after Udinese suffered a 5-3 loss to Inter Milan at the San Siro
- Udinese had led 2-0 inside 16 minutes before Inter Milan produced a stunning comeback with five goals
- Okoye is expected to be called up for Nigeria's 2027 AFCON qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau in September
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Super Eagles goalkeeper Maduka Okoye has broken his silence after Udinese's dramatic 5-3 Serie A defeat to Inter Milan at the San Siro, admitting that the champions were simply too strong on the night.
Udinese had made a remarkable start to the match, going two goals up within the first 16 minutes.
Source: Getty Images
James Abankwah headed home from Unai Gómez's cross after nine minutes to open the scoring, before Jurgen Ekkelenkamp doubled the lead by converting Keinan Davis' low delivery.
The opening spell looked set to hand Udinese a famous result, but Inter refused to capitulate.
Inter Milan's stunning comeback
Carlos Augusto pulled one back for Inter Milan with a long-range strike from around 20 yards, then Nicolò Barella levelled from Marcus Thuram's lay-off before half-time, per Sempre Inter.
The second half told an entirely different story as Thuram put Inter in front in the 57th minute, sweeping in Andy Diouf's pullback.
Francesco Pio Esposito extended the lead to 4-2 after a slick move involving Curtis Jones and Piotr Zielinski, and Ange-Yoan Bonny added a fifth after his initial effort was saved.
Udinese pulled a late goal back in stoppage time, but the result was beyond doubt by then.
The comeback was Inter's second consecutive Serie A recovery from a two-goal deficit, following a 3-2 victory over Napoli in which they also overturned a 2-0 deficit. Inter finished the Udinese game with 66% possession and 27 total shots, compared with Udinese's 34% and just six attempts.
Okoye breaks silence after Udinese's defeat
Speaking on Udinese's official website after the final whistle, Okoye reflected on the defeat with measured honesty, acknowledging the challenge of facing Inter at their home ground.
"It's always difficult against Inter at San Siro. They play very attacking, they don't stop even after scoring three or four goals. We also had our chances, but they are too strong," Okoye said.
The Nigerian shot-stopper's words captured the frustration of a side that had done enough in the opening quarter to dare to dream, only to be undone by the relentless quality of the Serie A champions under Cristian Chivu, who had rotated his squad ahead of the fixture.
The result leaves Udinese on four points in the Serie A table.
The club's attention now turns to their next league match against Cagliari at the Bluenergy Stadium on Saturday, where they will be looking to bounce back and build on the platform their early performance against Inter suggested they are capable of.
Beyond club football, Okoye's performances remain under close watch ahead of Nigeria's 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.
The goalkeeper is expected to be among the shot-stoppers invited to the Super Eagles squad for their qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau later in September.
Okoye breaks silence on 2030 World Cup ambition
Earlier, Legit.ng reported about Okoye’s confidence that the Super Eagles will qualify for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
Nigeria’s hopes of returning to football’s biggest stage come after back-to-back World Cup qualification failures, including a painful penalty defeat to DR Congo. With fans desperate to end the wait, Okoye says the Super Eagles are ready to fight for their place among the world’s best.
Source: Legit.ng
