Despite his side's disappointing outing against Lecce in the Serie, Udinese head coach Kosta Runjaic has praised Super Eagles goalkeeper Maduka Okoye for his impressive performance.

After facing severe backlash following Udinese' loss to Torino last week, Okoye responded well with a much-improved performance Lecce on Sunday, October 18.

Despite conceding three goals, the 27-year-old pulled off a string of decent saves to keep the score line respectable.

The Nigerian international denied N'Dri, Kaba and Geubbels, including a crucial save in a one-on-one situation.

Goals from Gaspar, Konan N’Dri and Jamil Siebert condemned the Zebras to their fifth consecutive defeat in Serie A.

Runjiac after the game commended Okoye alongside David Alaba and Keinan Davies for their contributions in the game.

“Except for Davis and Alaba in the first half, the team didn’t show its best side, and we made numerous mistakes. Okoye also played well and contributed,” Runjaic said.

“Nevertheless, in general terms, success and failure are collective experiences. I did not expect a game of this nature.”

WDN