Super Eagles and Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye delivered a bright moment with his first Serie A penalty save, but it could not prevent Bologna from cruising to a 3-0 win at the Bluenergy Stadium on Sunday.
Tommaso Pobega’s first Serie A brace since May 2021 and a stoppage-time goal from Federico Bernardeschi sealed the visitors’ victory, lifting Bologna to third place in the league.
Udinese started strongly and created early chances. Four minutes in, Keinan Davis shot over the bar from a Hassane Kamara cross, and Kamara himself tested Federico Ravaglia from distance.
Bologna nearly opened the scoring just before halftime when Kingsley Ehizibue handled in the box, giving Riccardo Orsolini a penalty. Okoye dived correctly to deny Orsolini, his first Serie A penalty miss since September 2023.
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Despite Udinese’s promising start, Bologna dominated the second half. Giovanni Fabbian narrowly missed after a pass from Nadir Zortea, before Bernardeschi added a stoppage-time goal. Bologna have now scored at least twice in seven of their last nine competitive matches, while Udinese suffered their fifth league defeat of the season.
Speaking after the match, Okoye reflected on his mixed emotions:
“I’m happy for the penalty save, but not for the match, which we had started well anyway. That’s football: I saved a penalty, but then I made a mistake on the second goal.
“We have to move on and analyse the good and the least good things we do today. Mistakes are part of the game, but we have to reduce them.
It’s important to learn from these mistakes. In football, the most important thing is the result, but we also want to play well. We have to stick together and think about the next game.”
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Okoye has now played in six consecutive league matches since returning from a ban related to a betting scandal, keeping just one clean sheet in that period.
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Meanwhile, Ghana midfielder Ibrahim Sulemana also made headlines in the same match, marking his Serie A debut for Bologna. The 22-year-old came off the bench in the second half, replacing Giovanni Fabbian, and contributed to the Rossoblu’s dominant 3-0 win.
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Sulemana joined Bologna on loan from Atalanta during the summer transfer window but had to wait two months due to injury. The Black Stars midfielder is expected to gradually establish himself in the Italian top flight.
