Serie A: Okoye error condemns Udinese to fourth straight defeat

Maduka Okoye of Udinese in action during the 2026/27 Serie A Enilive match between Inter and Udinese at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy, on September 14, 2026. (Photo by Andrea Amato/NurPhoto) (Photo by Andrea Amato / NurPhoto / NurPhoto via AFP)

Nigeria goalkeeper Maduka Okoye made a costly error as Udinese suffered their fourth consecutive defeat following a 2-1 loss to Torino in the Italian Serie A on Monday.

Okoye’s mistake allowed substitute Sandro Kulenovic to score the winning goal in the 67th minute after Udinese had fought back to level the match.

Torino took the lead through Daniel Bragança in the 36th minute before Jurgen Ekkelenkamp equalised for Udinese seven minutes later.

However, Okoye’s poorly timed attempt to clear the ball saw him collide with teammate Nicolo Bertola, leaving Kulenovic with an open goal to restore Torino’s lead.

Udinese coach Kosta Runjaic compared the mistake with an earlier error that contributed to his side’s defeat by Cagliari before the international break, while accepting responsibility for the team’s struggles.

“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, which cited TuttoMercatoWeb.

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The coach also lamented his side’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 added that he would work to keep the squad united despite the poor run of results.

“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 said.

The defeat left Udinese on four points after six league matches, having lost four consecutive games.

Despite the setback, Runjaic praised the performances of defender Oumar Solet and goalscorer Ekkelenkamp, while expressing hope that injured players would return to strengthen the squad.