Super Eagles goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo has praised Charlton Athletic’s defensive resilience after the team played out a goalless draw with Queens Park Rangers in their Championship clash on Wednesday.
The 25-year-old produced a composed performance at The Valley, making two saves to keep a clean sheet as Charlton bounced back from their heavy 4-0 defeat to Stoke City in their previous league outing.
Speaking to the club’s media after the game, Okonkwo praised his teammates for responding strongly to the setback against Stoke while looking forward to the next league match against Portsmouth.
“We knew it was going to be difficult, but I thought the boys dug in well, especially after last week, and we defended really well,” Okonkwo said.
More Read
“I think we were a bit unfortunate with decisions against us in the first half, but in the end a clean sheet against a really good side is always good, and we look to Saturday now.”
Okonkwo revealed that head coach Nathan Jones had demanded a defensive reaction from his players following their disappointing display against Stoke.
“That was the manager’s message before the game. He wanted to see a reaction from us defensively,” he added.
“I think the game against Stoke, we had some decisions against us as well, which set us back, but there’s no excuse for how we defended at times.”
“Today was a good reaction. We stayed strong, defended our box really well, and we were able to get a clean sheet. Would have liked to have won, but that’s football.”
Okonkwo played a crucial role in preserving Charlton’s point, producing an important save in a one-on-one situation during the game.
“We lost the ball in a quite dangerous area, and you can see the 1v1 situation coming. I just tried to stand up as long as possible, make it harder for the attacker, try to stay high, make the goal look small, and I was able to get my leg out and block the shot,” he explained.
“It was a really important save and I’m just happy I made it.”
The clean sheet was Okonkwo’s second in succession at The Valley, underlining his growing influence since joining Charlton on loan from Wrexham.
The Super Eagles goalkeeper praised the club’s supporters and his teammates for helping him settle into his new surroundings, revealing that he has already become more comfortable with the team.
“Fans have been amazing. They’ve made me feel at home already, same with the players, and yeah, it’s always nice getting a clean sheet in front of the fans,” he said.
“When I joined, it was straight in, so I’m just learning game by game and just trying to learn the defenders, what they like, what they don’t like, and not only the defenders, but the whole team.”
“I feel already more comfortable than I did a few weeks ago, and we’ll just keep trying to improve every week and try to take the game to the next level, and get some more results.”
“The games are coming thick and fast. Obviously, a good point at home today with the clean sheet, which I think was really important, and I think puts us in a good place going into the game against Portsmouth on Saturday,” he concluded.
Okonkwo will aim to take his decent club form into the national team when the Super Eagles return to action later this month. Although the squad list is yet to be officially released, Charlton have confirmed that the shot-stopper has been called up for Nigeria’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau.
The Super Eagles will face Madagascar at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium on September 25 before travelling to face Guinea-Bissau on September 29.
© 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.
