Nigeria goalkeeper Maduka Okoye’s costly blunder condemned Udinese to a 2-1 loss to Torino in the Italian Serie A on Monday, extending their losing streak to four matches.
Substitute Sandro Kulenovic scored the winner in the 67th minute after Daniel Bragança put Torino ahead in the 36th minute and Jurgen Ekkelenkamp equalised seven minutes later.
Okoye collided with teammate Nicolo Bertola while attempting to clear the ball, allowing Kulenovic to score into an unguarded net.
Udinese manager Kosta Runjaic likened the error to one that contributed to their defeat against 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.
He also bemoaned his side’s lack of attacking opportunities and noted that Torino’s opener 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 pledged to maintain team unity and morale despite the disappointing 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 with four points from six league matches. Runjaic praised defender Oumar Solet and goalscorer Ekkelenkamp, while hoping injured players would return to strengthen the squad.
