Nigerian trio Maduka Okoye, Isaac Success and Kingsley Ehizibue all played key roles in helping Udinese record an important victory over Lecce in the Serie A on Monday. The Friulani have struggled for much of the season, and need such a result to boost their survival hopes.
Udinese have endured one of their worst-ever campaigns in the Italian top-flight, having garnered just 33 points from 36 matches this season. Despite replacing Gabriele Chioffi with Fabio Cannavaro, results have barely improved in the last month and a half.
However, Cannavaro finally got his first win as manager of Udinese when his side recorded a hard-fought 2-0 victory away at Lecce on Monday evening. The Friulani were on the back foot for large spells but proved to be more clinical than the hosts, resulting in a deserved 2-0 victory at the Stadio Via del Mare.
Having struggled to get going in the early exchanges, Cannavaro’s side drew first blood after finally managing to sustain a spell of pressure, with Lorenzo Lucca turning home Martin Payero’s pass. Udinese had to put up a resilient defensive display to keep the hosts at bay, and added a second against the run of play late in the game following Lazar Samardzic’s cool finish.
Maduka Okoye, Isaac Success and Kingsley Ehizibue shine in Udinese win over Lecce
Udinese’s 2-0 win over Lecce was partly due to the impressive displays of Maduka Okoye, Isaac Success and Kingsley Ehizibue. The Nigerian trio brought their A-game and all had great individual performances.
Okoye once again demonstrated why Cannavaro has kept faith with him in the post by producing yet another man-of-the-match performance. The 24-year-old saved three goal-bound efforts from Lecce to ensure the Friulani kept a clean sheet away from home.
Success, whose late goal earned Udinese a draw against Napoli last week, was also a menace after being deployed on the left side of the front three. The former Watford man was a lively presence on the flanks until he was replaced by Roberto Pereyra in the second half.
Ehizibue, a former Netherlands U-21 international of Nigerian descent, played as a right wing-back against Lecce and also impressed in his time on the pitch before being substituted after 74 minutes. It was a great evening for the Nigerian contingent in the Udinese team, all of whom shone in the club’s crucial away victory against Lecce.
Nigerian trio help Udinese climb out of relegation zone
Meanwhile, Udinese have now climbed out of the relegation zone following their win over Lecce. Cannavaro and his side have been struggling for results and went into Monday's game sitting in the danger zone.
However, they have now climbed up to 15th on the league log with just two matches remaining. Udinese are not yet guaranteed safety, as they are just one point above 18th-placed Empoli. The Friulani will be involved in their most important game of the season when they face Empoli at home next Sunday.
A win would see Cannavaro’s side maintain their top-flight status with a game to spare. The problem, though, is that Udinese have been limping in the league. The win over Lecce was only their first since March 11 when they defeated Lazio on the road, having won just once in their last eight Serie A matches.
Udinese have now taken their destiny into their own hands but will need to produce the goods when it matters most against Empoli next week. Cannavaro will certainly be counting on Okoye, Success and Ehizibue to help his side beat the drop after their contributions helped to take the club out of the relegation zone.
What are Nigerian trio’s chances of making Super Eagles squad for World Cup qualifiers?
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers set to resume next month, the competition for places in the Nigerian squad is as keen as ever. Okoye’s impressive form for Udinese puts him in a good position to be recalled to the Super Eagles squad but that is not certain, especially after being snubbed by Finidi George during the March international friendlies.
Nigeria currently do not have any challenges with their goalkeeping department following the meteoric rise of Stanley Nwabali, who has been a reliable presence between the sticks since becoming the country’s number one during the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Ivory Coast.
For Success, despite being a regular at Udinese and playing 26 matches this season, he has simply not been productive enough. His return of one goal and one assist puts him further down the pecking order when it comes to the Super Eagles’ attacking options. For a team that boasts prolific forwards like Victor Osimhen, Victor Boniface, Taiwo Awoniyi, Paul Onuachu and Cyriel Dessers, there doesn’t appear to be any space for Success.
Success’ situation is similar to that of his club teammate Ehizibue, who is even yet to be capped by Nigeria after playing for the Netherlands at the U-21 level. The 28-year-old received his first Super Eagles call-up in March 2020 during Gernot Rohr’s tenure as head coach, but didn’t feature and his stocks have fallen in recent years, with Nigeria currently spoilt for choice on the flanks.
Among Udinese’s Nigerian trio, though, Okoye seems to be the most likely to be considered for a recall to the national team ahead of their crucial World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin, but even that isn’t cast in stone following his long, self-imposed absence from the Super Eagles.
