Okonkwo shines for Wrexham: Super Eagles keeper denies West Brom winner after early slip

Arthur Okonkwo went from villain to hero at The Hawthorns on Good Friday evening, conceding twice in a difficult first half before producing the save that ultimately preserved Wrexham's hard-earned 2-2 draw against West Bromwich Albion in the Championship.

Fellow Nigerian Josh Maja was also among the goals, converting from the penalty spot as the Baggies threatened to run away with the game, only for Wrexham to show the character that has defined their unlikely rise through English football's pyramid.

The goalkeeper who recently denied a switch to Nigeria was handed a frustrating opening 45 minutes. West Brom's opener arrived in the 26th minute through a deflected Isaac Price free-kick, later credited as a George Dobson own goal, and there was little Okonkwo could do about it. The deflection made it an almost impossible task for any goalkeeper.

The second goal, however, will be harder to take. Maja stepped up to convert a penalty in the 38th minute after Issa Kabore was adjudged to have wrestled Jayson Molumby to the ground during a corner, contact that Okonkwo and the Wrexham camp felt was at best marginal.

It was a cheap goal to concede from a Nigerian perspective, and the penalty award itself was contentious.

To Okonkwo's credit, he guessed correctly, diving to the right but Maja's placement was too precise and too powerful to be stopped.

The Baggies striker dispatched it with the kind of conviction that has made him a consistent threat for West Brom this season, bringing his Championship tally to three league goals for 2025/26.

At half-time, West Brom led 2-0 and looked well on course for a comfortable victory.

Wrexham's response in the second half was a testament to the resilience that has carried them this far.

The Red Dragons clawed their way back to level at 2-2, setting up a tense finale at The Hawthorns as the home side pushed desperately for a winner.

It was in those closing minutes that Okonkwo truly earned his rating. With West Brom substitute Daryl Dike bearing down and threatening to snatch all three points, the Nigerian stopper produced a world-class save that was widely cited afterwards as the defining moment of the match.

The stop that meant Wrexham left the Midlands with something to show for their second-half effort.

The draw pushed Wrexham into sixth place, the final Championship playoff position, a remarkable marker of how far the club has travelled in recent years.

For West Brom, it was two points dropped in a precarious situation. They remain 20th, four points clear of the relegation zone, and will know that conceding a 2-0 lead at home is the kind of result that could prove costly come the end of the season.

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