Udinese head coach Kosta Runjaic has refused to place the blame on Super Eagles goalkeeper Maduka Okoye for the club’s heavy 5-1 defeat to bottom-placed Fiorentina, but admitted he was disappointed by how the team collapsed after being reduced to 10 men.
The Bianconeri were targeting a seventh win of the season that would have moved them into the top half of the Serie A table at Christmas. They began the match brightly and were in control of proceedings until Okoye was sent off in the eighth minute for a foul on Fiorentina forward Moise Kean.
Kean had latched onto a through ball and was close to breaking clear when Okoye rushed out of his area in an attempt to clear the danger. The goalkeeper caught Kean in the process and was shown a straight red card by referee Maurizio Mariani, who decided without the need for Video Assistant Referee (VAR) intervention.
With Udinese down to 10 men, Fiorentina took full advantage and ran out 5–1 winners. The result marked Fiorentina’s first league victory of the season, giving their supporters something to celebrate after failing to win any of their opening 15 Serie A matches.
More Read
Reacting after the game, Runjaic defended Okoye but criticised his side’s response to the dismissal, suggesting the match was still winnable despite the numerical disadvantage.
“We played well in the first five minutes. You could see Fiorentina were struggling, but then we gave them a great gift with the red card,” Runjaic said after the game. “Mistakes happen and we lost a player, but even with ten men you can still put in a good performance and win.”
“I’m disappointed with our lack of reaction. We conceded too much and went into half-time 3–0 down against a team fighting for survival. It’s not easy to recover from that. We’re very disappointed, and it’s a shame for our fans. We’ll come back stronger against Lazio.”
The defeat leaves Udinese 12th in the Serie A standings, and they will be without Okoye when they host Lazio at the Stadio Friuli on December 27.
© Bold Sports Media. All rights reserved. If sharing, kindly credit Bold Sports as the source and include a link to the original post. Unauthorised use is prohibited.
