Maduka Okoye has spoken about his first appearance for the Super Eagles in two years.
Okoye was in goal for the Super Eagles in their 2-1 defeat to Rwanda in their final Group D game of the AFCON 2025 qualifiers.
The last time Okoye was in goal for the Eagles was in the round of 16 fixture against Tunisia at the 2021 AFCON.
Commenting on his return, the Udinese first choice said despite the delegate he is delighted to once again wear the national team jersey.
“Despite the result I’m more than happy and grateful to have played in this jersey again!
“It has always been, it is and it will forever be an honour to represent Nigeria.”
9 Comments
Good to hear that,but your performance was disappointing..I have supported you but you let me down..Got to do better for an Udinese’s first choice net minder..
Lol…oga calm down. Those goals were really not his fault. Our defense was really poor in that game.. I mean, tell me how you expect him to in any way save that close-range first goal…and the second goal, too; I wouldn’t blame him.
Do better with what….?
With a well planted free header to the corner of the post from the middle of the 6 yard box or from another free shot from an umarked CF right on the edge of the 6 yard box….?
Is he 1st choice at Udinese because he’s a son or son inlaw of the owner…?
Nigerian fans just love who they want to love and hate who they want to hate.
Nwabali dropped yet another clanger vs Benin and this place has been quiet. Nobody has ever dared to say he can do better in spite of his previous gaffes
Dre – The goal Nwabali conceded against Benin was also a freeheader – zero marking. No one made much out of it because he wasn’t emotionally stable for that game. I won’t blame Okoye for two goals against Rwanda. Our defence was simply non-existent
Your choice @Drey,in my opinion he could have done better especially the second goal..I don’t do support I judge based on performance,I have no favourite as long as you’re doing well you will have my back.I’m not sentimental in my judgment like you,so do not put me in category of fans who chose who to support.
Unless you don’t follow my posts..I am not sentimentally attached to any player neither am I comparing him with Nwabali as you was thinking rather my judgment was squarely on his performances against Rwanda in my assessment I wasn’t impressed by his all round performance,he was poor and didn’t fair well that’s my opinion..
But it was a more disastrous goal to concede, John-1….LMAOoo
If any clubs in Europe was after him has many of you guys earlier fantasized, that put nail on the coffin of any further interests.
Uzoho conceded an even harder header of a corner kick vs Lesotho too and y’all came down hard on him….free header near the 6 yard box, back post, opposite corner. The boy has not recovered till date. “he should have done better” more like he should have been super man.
But Nwabali catches the air while the ball embrassingly passes between his legs…..crickets….!!!!
If I may ask…Why have you all not given a whiff about it. Why have you all kept quiet…? But even the fact that Okoye doesn’t “fight” his defenders (in the name of controlling his defence) comes under scrutiny, not to talk about conceeding a goal.
And who told you Nwabali was emotionally unstable for the game…? What made him emotionally unstable…? If he was emotionally unstable why didn’t he just excuse himself since we already had qualification in the bag. Mind you his dad only passed away the following day, AFTER the match….not b4 it.
And if his blunder for that game was due to emotional instability, what about the clangers he dropped vs the same Benin in the same stadium in the WCQ…? What about the ones he dropped vs CIV in the AFCON final that goave away our lead and handed over momentum to CIV…? What about the simple pass by EG’s Iban Edu that strolled helplessly beside him in our first AFCON game without him even making any effort. Could he too not have “done better” in those scenarios…?
And Greenturf, I have not said you shouldn’t have any opinions….far from it. Every one is entitled to his or her opinions. It only just seems every goal other keepers concede seems to generate an opinion while even Nwabali’s bloopers get swept under the carpet…..LMAOooo. Now we are having excuses being made for him that he was emotionally unstable. That’s the principal hallmark of bias. Nigerian fans just love to love who they want to love and hate who they want to hate. And I quite understand….Nwabali is the closest semblance of a “home-based” player y’all want to see displacing foreign based or foreign borns in the Super Eagles.
And Like I said earlier, Maduka isn’t 1st choice at Udinese because he’s a son or son inlaw of the owner.
I also don’t have a stake in who starts in the SE. None of them is my son, related to me or have any connections with me. I stand nothing to gain or lose seeing any of them in goal. But the culture of trying to rubbish 1 for the same sins the other commits regularly but gets away with is what must be eschewed.
In 17 caps Nwabali has let in 5 goals that question his basics of modern goal keeping, but each time the silence about it all has been defeating…..LMAOoo…as if it never even happened.
He was supposed to be the “better” one, but has kept less cleansheets and conceded more goals in as many games under much more favoured conditions.
The reason why Kaizer chiefs went for Rwanda’s GK over him (despite having na entire AFCON to himself) is clear to even us Nigerians now after playing Rwanda twice.
The match is nothing to reckon with as we careless. Go in peace jóó.
Every Keeper concedes. We move on. Defence was porous.
Okoye is a no no for me as long as he refuses to move up the latter of world class. He is best described as average world class goal keeper. For now Nwabali should maintain the position until we get something better than Him.