Nigeria goalkeeper Maduka Okoye made a costly error as Udinese suffered their fourth consecutive defeat, losing 2-1 to Torino in the Italian Serie A on Monday.
Okoye’s mistake proved decisive in the 67th minute when he collided with teammate Nicolo Bertola while attempting to clear the ball, allowing substitute Sandro Kulenovic to score into an unguarded net.
Torino had taken the lead through Daniel Bragança in the 36th minute, but Udinese responded seven minutes later when Jurgen Ekkelenkamp found the equaliser.
However, the visitors’ hopes of avoiding another defeat were dashed by Okoye’s error, which handed Torino the winning goal.
Udinese head coach Kosta Runjaic likened the incident to an earlier mistake that contributed to his side’s defeat against Cagliari before the international break, while accepting responsibility for the team’s poor results.
“We lost because of a big mistake, like against Cagliari. As head coach, I’m responsible too. It was a lack of communication and perception, and with mistakes like these you end up losing games,” Runjaic said, according to Football Italia, citing TuttoMercatoWeb.
The coach also criticised his team’s inability to create enough scoring opportunities and noted that Torino’s opening goal came from a set piece.
“We didn’t score or create many chances. The defensive error is costly, but Torino’s first goal also came from a set piece. Congratulations to Torino,” he said.
Runjaic pledged to keep the squad united as they look to recover from their disappointing run.
“I’ll try to keep the team united and morale high. In the end, the result is that we lost, and we have to get through this moment by encouraging one another,” he added.
The defeat left Udinese with four points from six league matches, having now lost four games in a row.
Despite the setback, Runjaic praised defender Oumar Solet and goalscorer Ekkelenkamp for their performances, while expressing hope that the return of injured players would strengthen the squad.
