I love him — Italian star hails Maduka Okoye after heroic performance

The Zebras ended a six-game losing streak with a hard-fought 0-0 draw at the Stadio Ennio Tardini on Wednesday night.

Okoye was the standout performer, diving low to deny Adrián Bernabé from the spot in the 69th minute after a handball decision against defender James Abankwah.

The stop earned the 27-year-old the Man of the Match award and delivered his first Serie A clean sheet of the 2026/27 season.

Before the game, Okoye had conceded 18 goals across nine appearances without a shutout. His intervention proved decisive as Udinese created the better chances but needed the goalkeeper’s heroics to leave with a point in the relegation battle.

Speaking after the match, Zaniolo was full of admiration for his teammate.

“It’s not the first time Maduka has saved us. I love him; he’s a good person and a fantastic goalkeeper,” the Italian international said.

“Today, thanks to him, we broke our losing streak and got a point away from home that moves us up the table.”

Okoye himself described the save as pure instinct and admitted the side had been unlucky in recent weeks while missing key players such as Zaniolo.

Udinese will now turn their attention to a home clash against in-form Roma as they look to build on the morale-boosting result.