'Okoye played well' - Super Eagles star praised despite conceding three goals

Udinese coach Kosta Runjaic has defended Super Eagles goalkeeper Maduka Okoye despite his side's disappointing 3-0 defeat to Lecce in Serie A on Sunday, October 18.

The Nigerian shot-stopper, who recently came under scrutiny following a costly error against Torino, earned praise from his manager for his individual contribution despite the heavy loss.

Okoye started in goal for Udinese at the Bluenergy Stadium but could not prevent his team from suffering their fifth consecutive defeat in the Italian top flight. Goals from Gaspar, Konan N'Dri and Jamil Siebert condemned the hosts to another disappointing result, extending their difficult run of form.

However, the Super Eagles goalkeeper produced several important saves to prevent the scoreline from becoming even worse. The Nigerian denied N'Dri and Kaba before making further stops against Geubbels, including a crucial save in a one-on-one situation.

His performance came just days after he was criticised for an error that contributed to Udinese's defeat against Torino, raising questions about his consistency between the posts. Despite the latest setback, Runjaic was keen to acknowledge Okoye's contribution while admitting that the team's overall performance fell below expectations.

"Except for Davis and Alaba in the first half, the team didn't show its best side, and we made numerous mistakes. Okoye also played well and contributed," the Udinese manager said during his post-match press conference.

Runjaic also stressed that responsibility for the defeat rested with the entire team rather than individual players, expressing surprise at Udinese's inability to compete effectively against Lecce.

"But in general, you win and lose together; I wasn't expecting a match like this," he added.

"Lecce gave us a lot of trouble and put us under pressure. We need to ask ourselves why we're motivated."

The defeat leaves Okoye and his teammates facing mounting pressure to reverse their fortunes after five successive losses in Serie A.

The Nigerian international has made eight appearances for Udinese across all competitions this season, with his only clean sheet coming in the Coppa Italia encounter against Padova on August 15.

Although his recent performances have attracted scrutiny, Runjaic's public backing offers some encouragement as the goalkeeper looks to regain consistency. Okoye will now hope to build on his individual display against Lecce and help Udinese return to winning ways in their upcoming fixtures.