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Udinese's Maduka Okoye threatened Stanley Nwabali's number one spot in the Super Eagles with another commanding display in Serie A
Nigeria's Maduka Okoye was the star of the show as Udinese claimed a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Lecce to move into second place in Serie A.
The Udinese goalkeeper made three saves, including two from inside the box, to help his side to their fourth victory in seven Serie A fixtures.
Okoye's brilliance and a solitary goal from Jordan Zemura were enough for Udinese to claim a crucial win and keep their hopes of playing in Europe next season alive.
How it happened
The match began with Udinese on top and frantically searching for an opener, but the home side were unable to find the back of the net as Lecce grew in confidence as the match wore on.
Lecce were soon in the driving seat of proceedings and Okoye was forced into important saves to keep his side in the game.
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Udinese came closest to opening the scoring in the latter parts of the first half but Jordan Zemura and then Christian Kabasele failed to take advantage of their opportunities.
Zemura soon made amends for his miss in the first half by giving Udinese the lead with a fine finish 15 minutes to the end of the match, making it 1-0 to the home side.
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The goal helped Udinese to their fourth win of the campaign, leaving them second on the Serie A table with 12 points.
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