Udinese head coach Kosta Runjaic has praised Nigerian goalkeeper Maduka Okoye following his impressive return to competitive action in the club’s 1-0 victory over Padova in the Coppa Italia.
The Zebras secured their place in the next round of the competition after defeating Padova at the Bluenergy Stadium on Sunday, with Keinan Davis scoring the only goal of the encounter.
Davis broke the deadlock in the 35th minute, giving Udinese a lead they successfully protected until the final whistle.
The match was particularly significant for Okoye, who returned to the starting line-up after missing Udinese’s entire pre-season programme due to a shoulder injury.
Despite his lengthy absence, Runjaic showed confidence in the Nigeria international by handing him the starting goalkeeper role for the Coppa Italia fixture.
Okoye repaid that confidence with a composed performance between the posts, making the necessary saves to preserve Udinese’s advantage and help the Serie A side record a clean sheet.
His return is a welcome development for both Udinese and Nigeria, with the goalkeeper having established himself as an important figure at club level before his injury setback.
Runjaic was pleased with Okoye’s contribution but stressed that the team must remain focused and avoid becoming carried away by the positive result.
“Okoye was playing his first game back from injury and kept a clean sheet.
” The overall record is good, but we don’t want to get too excited; we need to stay focused ahead of the Como match,” Runjaic told Udinese’s official website.
The coach’s comments underline the importance of gradually managing Okoye’s return to full fitness after his shoulder problem.
For Okoye, the clean sheet represents an encouraging first step as he looks to regain his rhythm and cement his position as Udinese’s first-choice goalkeeper.
Udinese will now turn their attention to their upcoming league fixture against Como before continuing their Coppa Italia campaign in the next round, where they will face Venezia.
With Okoye back in action and showing confidence immediately after his injury layoff, Udinese will hope the Nigerian goalkeeper can maintain his form as the new campaign gathers momentum.
