Maduka Okoye made his second appearance since recovering from a wrist injury but couldn’t prevent Udinese from suffering a 1-0 defeat at home against Hellas Verona in Serie A on Saturday. The unexpected victory for Hellas Verona significantly bolstered their chances of avoiding relegation, as Ondrej Duda’s impressive free kick ended Udinese’s six-match unbeaten streak. Udinese had been in contention for European spots, riding a strong wave of four wins and two draws, including ties against Napoli and Lazio. Both teams entered halftime without scoring, but soon after the restart, substitute Kingsley Ehizibue came close with a shot just wide from the edge of the box. Udinese increased their efforts, yet both Lorenzo Lucca and Ehizibue missed opportunities from a cross by Jordan Zemura. Verona finally broke the deadlock in the 72nd minute with a remarkable free kick from Duda, who curled the ball over the wall into the top corner. Udinese tried to respond, but a weak header from Atta on a cross by Solet in stoppage time was not enough. The defeat leaves Udinese in 10th place with 40 points, while Verona sits in 14th with 29 points in the league standings. Okoye has also been dropped from the Super Eagles’ final 23-man squad for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe, after being included in the initial 39-man provisional squad. By James Agberebi.
