Super Eagles goalkeeper Maduka Okoye had a long evening at the Bluenergy Stadium on Saturday. Udinese lost 5-2 to Roma in Serie A Matchday 10 and Okoye picked the ball out of his net five times.
It was his 10th league appearance of the 2026/27 season. Unfortunately, it was also one of the toughest.
Roma needed less than 10 minutes to break the deadlock. Wesley whipped in a cross from the left and Bryan Cristante got ahead of everyone to head past Okoye.
Then things got worse for the hosts. Cristante drove down the right and rolled the ball across for Rodrigo Mora, who tapped in at the back post in the 31st minute.
Two minutes later, Donyell Malen made it three. Matias Soule picked him out, and Malen cut inside Christian Kabasele before beating Okoye at the near post.
Evan Ndicka then wrapped up the first-half rout. He rose highest from a Soule corner in the 37th minute and nodded home the fourth.
In truth, it could have been more. Soule hit the upright after beating the offside trap, so Udinese were fortunate to be only four down at the break.
Udinese came out looking like a different team after the break. As a result, they finally found a way through in the 50th minute, when Nicolo Zaniolo scored against his former club.
Matteo Palma added a second in the 78th minute with a sweet volley that beat Pierluigi Gollini. For a moment, the home fans had something to cheer about.
Even so, the damage had been done. Roma struck again in stoppage time when Daniele Ghilardi took a pass from Santiago Castro and drilled a shot in off the underside of the bar. That made it 5-2, and Roma had five different scorers.
The result leaves Udinese 19th in the table with just five points. Furthermore, it is their seventh defeat in eight league games, and coach Kosta Runjaic is now under serious pressure.
This was a tough one to take, especially after a good week. Only days earlier, he made a penalty save in the goalless draw at Parma, which ended Udinese’s run of six straight defeats.
However, it is worth saying that he did not have much help on Saturday. Most of Roma’s goals came from crosses, cutbacks and quick balls over the top, and the Udinese back three was stretched badly in the first half.
It also adds a bit of context to his season. Udinese beat Roma 1-0 at home in February, with Okoye named man of the match. Nine months later, the same fixture went completely the other way.
Udinese now have a short turnaround. They travel to Venezia on Friday, November 6, and anything less than a result could deepen the crisis.
