Runjaic, however, acknowledged that his team as a whole failed to meet his expectations during the encounter.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Udinese manager Kosta Runjaic has expressed satisfaction with the performance of Super Eagles goalkeeper Maduka Okoye despite their 3-0 thumping by Lecce in a Serie A encounter on Sunday.
He made this known while speaking at his post-match press conference after the Bianconeri suffered another league defeat.
Earlier, Okoye faced considerable scrutiny after his mistake resulted in Torino’s decisive goal in their last league fixture, although Runjaic maintained confidence in the 27-year-old despite Udinese’s unsatisfactory collective performance.
On Sunday, goals from Gaspar, Konan N’Dri and Jamil Siebert ensured that Lecce handed Udinese their fifth consecutive defeat in the Italian top flight, with Okoye retaining his place in goal.
Despite making several crucial saves, the Nigerian international could not prevent Udinese from suffering a heavy defeat at the hands of Lecce.
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He denied N’Dri and Kaba scoring opportunities while making additional saves against Geubbels, including a vital intervention in a one-on-one situation.
Speaking after the loss, Runjaic praised Okoye and some of his teammates, while acknowledging that his team had failed to meet expectations.
“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,” he said.
Runjaic added, “Nevertheless, in general terms, success and failure are collective experiences. I did not expect a game of this nature.”
Okoye has played eight matches for Udinese in all competitions this season, with his only clean sheet coming in the Coppa Italia match against Padova on August 15.
