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Nigeria goalkeeper Maduka Okoye made a costly error as Udinese suffered their fourth consecutive defeat in the Italian Serie A following a 2-1 loss to Torino on Monday.
Okoye’s mistake allowed substitute Sandro Kulenovic to score the decisive goal in the 67th minute, condemning Udinese to another disappointing result after they had fought back to level the match.
Torino took the lead in the 36th minute through Daniel Bragança before Jurgen Ekkelenkamp restored parity for Udinese seven minutes later.
However, Udinese’s hopes of securing a positive result suffered a setback when Okoye mistimed his attempt to clear the ball and collided with teammate Nicolo Bertola, leaving Kulenovic with an opportunity to score into an unguarded net.
The defeat extended Udinese’s losing streak to four matches, leaving the club with four points from six league games.
Coach reacts to costly mistake
Udinese manager Kosta Runjaic expressed disappointment with the defensive error, comparing it with a previous mistake that contributed to the team’s defeat against Cagliari before the international break.
According to Football Italia, citing TuttoMercatoWeb, Runjaic acknowledged his responsibility for the team’s poor run of results while pointing to a lack of communication and awareness during the decisive moment.
“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,” he said.
The German coach also criticised his side’s limited attacking threat, noting that Udinese failed to create enough scoring opportunities during the encounter.
He further observed that Torino’s opening goal came from a set piece before congratulating their opponents on the victory.
Despite the setback, Runjaic said he would work to maintain unity and morale within the squad as the team seeks to recover from its difficult spell.
“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.
Runjaic praised the performances of defender Oumar Solet and goalscorer Ekkelenkamp, while expressing hope that the return of injured players would strengthen the squad.
Udinese will now look to end their losing streak and improve their position in the Serie A standings after a disappointing start to the campaign.
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