Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye has expressed disappointment at the result and believes his side can improve following their 3-1 defeat to Juventus on Wednesday, SportPremi reports.
The Little Zebras put up a spirited performance, but fell to a third league defeat of the season at the Juventus stadium on Wednesday night.
The defeat leaves them in 10th position and puts a halt to their newly-found momentum, while their hosts bounced back from an eight-game winless streak.
What happened in the match
Juventus welcomed Udinese in a match-day nine clash at the Allianz Stadium, in their first match since the departure of Igor Tudor who was dismissed earlier in the week.
Udinese, meanwhile, headed into the clash on the back on a three-game unbeaten run in the league, including a 3-2 win over Lecce in their last outing.
Dusan Vlahovic opened the scoring as early as the fifth minute, calmly converting from the penalty spot.
The visitors pulled one back on the stroke of halftime through Nicolo Zaniolo as both teams went into the break on level terms.
Maduka Okoye, who had returned to action only few weeks ago fter returning from a 148-day suspension for a betting offense, made multiple saves to keep his side in the game.
However, he was beaten for a second time on the night when Federico Gatti found the back of the net in the 67th minute.
Turkish superstar Kenan Yildiz won and scored another penalty in stoppage-time, as Juventus sealed a 3-1 win to record their first victory in over a month.
Okoye disappointed with result
Speaking after the defeat, Maduka Okoye hailed his team’s display and believes they can improve in their coming games.
“We played a good game all together; it’s always difficult against Juventus. We’re not happy, but we know we played well, we’ll take what we did well for the next match”, the Nigerian goalkeeper said.
“We’ve made progress all together this season, and this is the result of hard work. The coach is ambitious, and we always want more.”
The Super Eagles goalkeeper also reflected on his return to action, after missing several days due to suspension.
“I’ve been out for a while, and it’s always difficult to be without football, but the goalkeeping coaches and the players have always helped me.
“I feel good, I’m happy, I want to grow, and I learn every day”, Maduka Okoye continued.
