Maduka Okoye and Gift Orban were central figures on Monday night in Verona, but it was the Udinese goalkeeper who ended the evening on the winning side as Hellas Verona slipped to another damaging Serie A defeat.
Orban scored his seventh league goal of the season for Verona, yet Okoye’s assured performance in goal helped Udinese secure a 3-1 victory at the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi, extending the hosts’ winless run to seven matches.
Verona started brightly and enjoyed long spells of possession, but Udinese struck first in the 23rd minute when Arthur Atta fired past Simone Perilli to give the visitors the lead.
Orban now has 7 goals in 18 appearances in his first season in the Italian top-flight. Photo Credit: Imago
The hosts responded almost immediately. Three minutes later, Orban showed sharp instincts inside the box, controlling the ball under pressure before finishing decisively past Okoye to draw Verona level. It was another important contribution from the Nigerian forward, who continues to lead Verona’s scoring charts in a difficult campaign.
Udinese regained control after the break. In the 58th minute, Alessandro Zanoli punished a defensive lapse with a curling strike into the top corner, restoring the visitors’ advantage.
As Verona pushed forward in search of another equaliser, spaces opened up, and Udinese took full advantage. Keinan Davis sealed the points in the 67th minute with a powerful finish to make it 3-1.
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While Orban’s goal briefly lifted the home side, Okoye was largely untroubled thereafter. The Udinese goalkeeper made three saves, recorded 25 touches and completed 21 accurate passes, providing calm distribution from the back as his side absorbed pressure and saw out the result.
Okoye has been a mainstay in goal for Udinese racking up 13 league appearances. Photo Credit: Imago
Despite enjoying more of the ball, Verona struggled to create sustained danger, managing just seven attempts on goal compared to Udinese’s 20.
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The defeat leaves Verona four points adrift of safety, with relegation concerns deepening ahead of their trip to Cagliari on 31 January. Udinese, move back to winning ways and remain comfortably inside the top half of the Serie A table.
