Maduka Okoye Apologises After Early Red Card as Udinese Suffer Heavy Defeat

Maduka Okoye Apologises After Early Red Card as Udinese Suffer Heavy Defeat

By Admin 

Super Eagles goalkeeper Maduka Okoye has issued a public apology to Udinese supporters following his early dismissal in the club’s Serie A clash against Fiorentina on Sunday, a match that ended in a crushing 5–1 defeat for the visitors.

The Nigerian international was sent off within the opening minutes after being adjudged to have committed a reckless challenge on Fiorentina striker Moise Kean. Referee Maurizio Mariani showed Okoye a straight red card for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity, a decision made without recourse to the Video Assistant Referee.

Reduced to ten men for the remainder of the contest, Udinese struggled to cope with sustained pressure from the hosts. Head coach Gabriele Cioffi was forced into an early tactical reshuffle, but Fiorentina capitalised on their numerical advantage to record their first Serie A victory of the season, following a run of nine defeats and six draws.

Rolando Mandragora opened the scoring in the 21st minute before Albert Guðmundsson and Cher Ndour added further goals to put the result beyond doubt before halftime. In the second half, Moise Kean struck twice to complete the rout, while Oumar Solet scored a consolation goal for Udinese in the 66th minute.

Okoye is now expected to face a suspension that will rule him out of Udinese’s final fixture of the year against Lazio on December 27.

In the aftermath of the defeat, the goalkeeper took to social media to apologise to fans and teammates. In a brief message posted on Snapchat, Okoye expressed regret over the incident and its impact on the team.

The episode comes amid reports that the 24-year-old recently opted out of Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations squad, citing concerns over his role as the Super Eagles’ second-choice goalkeeper.