Udinese wrapped up their 2025-26 Serie A campaign with a narrow 1-0 defeat to Napoli on Sunday, Soccernet.ng reports.
Nigerian goalkeeper Maduka Okoye delivered an impressive performance although he could not stop his side from ending the season with defeat, while former Super Eagles invitee Kingsley Ehizibue also featured throughout the encounter.
Rasmus Hojlund scored the only goal of the match in the first half, and although Udinese were reduced to 10 men after Christian Kabasele’s sending-off in the second half, Napoli could not add to their lead as the game ended 1-0 at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
Napoli vs Udinese: What happened?
Napoli came into the clash after a commanding 3-0 victory over Pisa in their previous outing, while Udinese were hoping to bounce back from a 1-0 defeat to Cremonese.
Super Eagles goalkeeper Maduka Okoye was tested as early as the second minute and produced an excellent save to deny Alisson Santos an early opener.
However, he was left helpless in the 24th minute when Rasmus Hojlund found the back of the net.
The visitors had attempts to level the scoreline, but could not get past Alex Meret, as Napoli took a 1-0 lead into the halftime break.
Udinese’s task became even more difficult in the second half when Christian Kabasele was sent off for violent conduct. The defender initially received a yellow card, but the decision was upgraded to a red after a VAR review.
Okoye continued to keep Udinese in the contest with a series of fine saves to prevent Napoli from extending their advantage, before Scott McTominay also missed a good chance from inside the box.
Napoli eventually held on for the 1-0 victory, ending Antonio Conte’s era at the club on a winning note as they finished second in the standings behind champions Inter Milan. Udinese, meanwhile, secured a 10th-place finish, marking their first top-half finish since the 2012-13 season when they ended fifth.
Super Eagles players ratings: Okoye, Ehizibue ratings
Maduka Okoye played the full 90 minutes in the defeat and was one of Udinese’s standout performers despite the result.
The 26-year-old made five saves and recorded 11 recoveries during the match, though he was denied what would have been his 11th clean sheet of the season. He finished the match with a rating of 7.9 according to Sofascore, the second-highest in the entire match.
Meanwhile, Kingsley Ehizibue also completed the entire match but had a more quiet outing overall. The defender completed 70% of his passes, won all his duels, and also made two clearances. He received a Sofascore rating of 6.7.
With the Serie A season now concluded, Okoye is expected to link up with the Super Eagles squad for next month’s friendlies against Poland and Portugal as he aims to reclaim his place as Nigeria’s first-choice goalkeeper. Ehizibue, meanwhile, has not received a national team call-up since 2020.
