The erstwhile first choice goalkeeper of the senior national team of Nigeria Maduka Okoye pressed his case to reclaim the number one spot of the team from Stanley Nwabali with his first clean sheet of the season yesterday, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.
Okoye who rose to the role of first choice at Udinese in the second half of last season ended it with five clean sheets in 22 games, and in just his first game of this season he has taken a step towards bettering his tally for last season.
Yesterday he was behind the sticks as his team started their season on a high with a 4-0 win over Avellino. He was behind the stick for the entire duration of the game although he wasn’t tested.
24 year Okoye was the first choice of the Nigerian team until he decided to take a break from the team, after his error in the round of 16 game of the Africa Cup of Nations against Tunisia proved costly with Nigeria losing 0-1.
He was subjected to several online criticism and it made him to take a break from the team, but he recently confirmed his readiness to return to the team, however he face a huge battle to displace Nwabali who is the new first choice shot stopper after rising to the role at the AFCON.
