Maduka Okoye Named In Serie A Team Of The Week Despite Udinese Defeat

Nigeria goalkeeper Maduka Okoye has been named in the Serie A Team of the Week for Matchday 29 following an outstanding performance for Udinese Calcio against Juventus FC.

Despite Udinese’s narrow 1-0 defeat on Saturday, Okoye emerged as one of the standout performers on the pitch with a string of impressive saves.

The Nigerian shot-stopper made seven crucial stops, denying Juventus on multiple occasions and keeping his side in contention for much of the encounter.

The only goal of the match came in the 38th minute when Kenan Yıldız produced a moment of quality before setting up Jérémie Boga, who finished into an empty net.

After conceding, Okoye continued to impress, ensuring the scoreline remained respectable. His performances this season have seen him record a 69.4 per cent save rate, along with five clean sheets in 21 appearances.

Having missed the early part of the campaign, Okoye has fought his way back to become Udinese’s first-choice goalkeeper, underlining his importance to the team with consistent displays.

His return to top form has also earned him a recall to the Nigeria national football team squad ahead of this month’s international friendlies against Jordan national football team and Iran national football team.

The goalkeeper had been absent from the national setup during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. His last involvement came during the 2026 FIFA World Cup African play-off final against DR Congo national football team, although he did not feature in the match, which Nigeria lost on penalties.

Okoye’s most recent appearance for the Super Eagles was in a 1-1 friendly draw with Russia national football team in Moscow last June.

Before heading out for international duty, Okoye will be aiming to maintain his fine form when Udinese face Genoa CFC on Friday. After the break, they will return to action at home against Como 1907.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.

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