Udinese led 3-2 at the Stadio Olimpico in the 90th minute. Kingsley Ehizibue had scored the opening goal. Maduka Okoye was in goal. Then Daniel Maldini happened, and a famous away win became a point with mixed emotions.
The Serie A Round 34 clash between Lazio and Udinese was one of the most dramatic matches of the Italian season.
Six goals. Multiple lead changes. Two Nigerian internationals central to the story from the first minute to the last. Ehizibue opened the scoring in the 18th minute with a powerful strike from inside the box, rifling the ball into the roof of the net. Okoye, meanwhile, was tested throughout and ultimately could not prevent Maldini’s 90+5 equaliser that denied Udinese their most famous result of the campaign. Nigerian fans following Ehizibue and Okoye’s Serie A seasons can use Bet9ja’s YOHAIG promo code to stay connected through the final matches of the Italian season.
Lazio responded in the second half with goals from Luca Pellegrini and Pedro to take a 2-1 lead. Then Arthur Atta, Udinese’s Ghanaian midfielder, scored twice in quick succession — in the 86th and 90+3rd minutes — to seemingly win it. Maldini’s 90+5 effort was the final twist.
“Now the feeling is more of a two-point drop, but tomorrow we’ll realize we’ve earned an important point away to Lazio, which isn’t easy. We’re disappointed now, but we have to move forward.” — Maduka Okoye, post-match.
It captures the emotional paradox of late equalisers precisely. Bet9ja’s Serie A betting page has the latest odds for Udinese’s remaining fixtures as they chase the 50-point mark.
Ehizibue and the Super Eagles Question
Ehizibue was born in Munich to Nigerian parents and holds Dutch citizenship. He is eligible for Germany, the Netherlands and Nigeria.
FootballInNigeria.com.ng understands Chelle is keen on inviting him for the Unity Cup or the June friendlies, with a source close to the situation confirming the 30-year-old has resolved previous immigration issues that prevented him from playing for Nigeria in 2017. A Serie A goal against Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico is the kind of form evidence that strengthens any national team case. New Bet9ja users following the Super Eagles’ summer programme can get started with the YOHAIG welcome bonus before the Unity Cup squad announcement.
Two Nigerians in Blue and Black
The Udinese connection to Nigerian football is deeper than most Italian clubs. Okoye has been the first-choice goalkeeper for two seasons now, consistently developing into one of the more reliable shot-stoppers in Serie A. Ehizibue, operating at right-back with occasional licence to arrive late in the box, has been a consistent performer in a side that punches above its weight financially.
That two Nigerian players performed together in a six-goal thriller at the Stadio Olimpico on a midweek Serie A night is the kind of story that deserves more coverage in Nigerian football circles than it typically receives. Chelle is watching both of them ahead of this summer’s programme.
📌 Did You Know?
- Kingsley Ehizibue’s goal against Lazio was his first in Serie A for three years, ending the longest goal drought of his professional career and arriving in one of the most dramatic matches of the Italian season.
- Maduka Okoye joined Udinese from Watford in 2023, becoming one of the few Nigerian goalkeepers in Serie A history, a position that has traditionally been dominated by Italian and South American players at Italian clubs.
- Daniel Maldini, whose 90+5 equaliser denied Udinese the win, is the son of former AC Milan captain Paolo Maldini and the grandson of club legend Cesare Maldini, making him part of one of Italian football’s most storied families.
- The Stadio Olimpico in Rome, where the match was played, is shared between Lazio and AS Roma and has a capacity of over 70,000, making it one of the largest football grounds in Serie A and the venue for multiple major European finals.
- Ehizibue was denied the opportunity to play for Nigeria in 2017 due to immigration complications involving his Dutch citizenship, an obstacle that has since been resolved according to sources close to the player and the NFF.
- Udinese’s 44 points from 34 Serie A matches places them in comfortable mid-table safety, with their target of reaching 50 points requiring two wins from their remaining four fixtures, a realistic ambition given their improving second-half-of-season form.
- Arthur Atta, the Udinese midfielder who scored twice in the match, is a Ghanaian international whose late goals temporarily appeared to have secured a famous away win before Maldini’s equaliser in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
