Okoye says Inter were too strong for Udinese

Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye has said Inter Milan's skill was too much for his team after they lost 5-3 at the San Siro on Monday night.

Udinese started the Serie A match quickly, taking a two-goal lead in the first 15 minutes. James Abankwah and Jurgen Ekkelenkamp scored the goals.

Inter responded well. Carlos Augusto and Niccolò Barella scored in 10 minutes to level the game. Marcus Thuram then put Inter ahead three minutes before the hour mark.

Francesco Pio Esposito and Ange-Yoan Bonny increased Inter’s lead to 5-2. Idrissa Gueye got a late goal for Udinese during stoppage time.

After the match, Okoye talked about how tough it is to face Inter at the San Siro. He also mentioned their strong attacking style.

“It’s always difficult against Inter at San Siro. They play very attacking football and don’t stop even after scoring three or four goals. We also had our chances, but they are too strong,” Okoye told Udinese’s official website.

Before the game, the Nigerian goalkeeper had spoken about how hard it is to stop Inter but was confident in Udinese’s preparation.

“There’s no easy way to stop Inter; they have so much quality, but we’ve prepared. It’s always special to play at San Siro; we’re here to get a result,” Okoye said.

The 27-year-old praised Udinese head coach Kosta Runjaić, his coaching team, and the other goalkeepers for helping him improve since he joined from Watford in 2023.

“Since I’ve been at Udine, I’ve gained experience; Coach Runjaic, the staff, and the other goalkeepers have helped me. I’m happy to have made progress, but I still want to improve,” he said.

Okoye had a good season last year, keeping 10 clean sheets in 30 Serie A matches as Udinese ended up in 10th place.

His good performances also drew interest from Inter during the summer transfer window, but he chose to stay with Udinese.

After this defeat, Udinese now has four points. Okoye and his teammates will focus on their next match against Cagliari at the Bluenergy Stadium on Saturday.