Maduka Okoye’s decision to rush off his line proved costly as Torino secured a 2-1 victory over Udinese at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino on Monday night. Udinese coach Kosta Runjaic later pointed to the goalkeeper’s error as a key moment in his side’s defeat.
Runjaic Reacts To Okoye’s Costly Error In Udinese’s Defeat To TorinoOkoye Howler Costs Udinese At Torino As Runjaic Points To Defensive Mix-Up After Fourth Straight LossOkoye
Howler Costs Udinese At Torino As Runjaic Points To Defensive Mix-Up After Fourth Straight Loss
It’s now four league defeats in a row for Udinese.
It was also Torino’s first home league win of the season under Ignazio Abate.
Torino took the lead in the 36th minute. Che Adams’ effort hit the post, and Bragança was sharpest to the rebound. Udinese hit back before the break. Jurgen Ekkelenkamp levelled in the 43rd minute, so the sides went in at 1-1.
The second half turned on one moment. Abankwah went off injured and Nicolo Bertola came on. Not long after, a long ball dropped between Okoye and his new defender. Okoye came for it, missed, and took Bertola out in the process. The ball ran behind both of them.
Nikola Vlasic found Sandro Kulenovic, who had only just come on, and he tapped it into an empty net in the 67th minute.
Okoye had already looked shaky. Early in the half he failed to claim a ball coming out, but Giovanni Simeone couldn’t make it count and shot over. Runjaic then threw on Davis, Alaba and Jovanovic, but Udinese never found a way back.
The Udinese coach didn’t dodge it. He told DAZN that the Bertola-Okoye error needed addressing first, adding that without it the match would probably have finished level.
He accepted that his team hadn’t played badly overall. Even so, he said the mistake shaped the game and decided it.
He also widened the criticism. Runjaic said the team had lacked communication, edge and awareness of danger in recent games, and he pointed to Kabasele’s mistake in the loss to Cagliari as another example.
In his view, Udinese made life too easy for opponents, especially on the second goal.
Italian outlets were harder on Okoye. Local coverage zeroed in on the clash with Bertola, and some questioned whether Runjaic’s own position is now under pressre
Udinese now have to fix their communication at the back and stop the losing run. Runjaic has said defensive solidity is the base, and he isn’t worried about scoring goals.
