Okoye happy with Como draw

Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye has praised his teammates and the home support after helping the Friulians secure a 1-1 draw with Como in their opening Serie A game of the season.

The Super Eagles goalkeeper produced a man-of-the-match display, making five crucial saves as Udinese picked up a point in front of their home fans.

Udinese took the lead inside the opening half-hour when Hassane Kamara ran onto Jürgen Ekkelenkamp’s pass before chipping the ball over Jean Butez and into an empty net.

Como levelled after the break when Okoye initially denied Trevoh Chalobah with a fine save from his header, but could do nothing to prevent Tasos Douvikas from following up and finding the back of the net.

Okoye then made another stunning save to deny Douvikas from completing the comeback shortly after the equaliser.

The draw was Udinese’s second competitive game of the campaign after they defeated Padova 1-0 in the Coppa Italia first round last weekend.

Reflecting on the match, Okoye praised his teammates and singled out the support from the Udinese fans.

“It’s an important point, we played against a strong team and we are happy. We entered the field to win, but in the end a point is fine,” the Super Eagles goalkeeper said, according to Udinese’s official website.

“I’m glad to help the team with my saves, but it’s the team that played a great game today. We are all happy.

“Starting over at home in front of our fans is beautiful, they helped us a lot. They are very important to us, we are grateful to have fans like that.”

Udinese will return to action next weekend when they travel to face Monza, with Okoye hoping to maintain his impressive early-season form.

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