Maduka Okoye: Disappointing Afternoon For Super Eagles Goalkeeper As Willem Shatter Sparta

The Nigerian shot-stopper was impressive in goal in a game that saw the Spartans miss the chance to arrest a rotten run of form

Maduka Okoye pulled off a string of fine saves, but it was not enough to prevent ten-man Sparta Rotterdam from falling to a disappointing 2-0 loss at home to Willem II in an Eredivisie face-off on Sunday.

Featuring in his 17th league game of the season, Okoye did his bit to help the home side go into the break with a clean sheet against fellow strugglers Willem II.

Both teams had won none of their last ten matches combined, but it was the visitors who showed more quality in attack to open the scoring in the 68th-minute; Che Nunnely doing well to head home a decent Mike Tresor cross that caught the Sparta defence sleeping.

Barely ten minutes later, Henk Fraser’s charges then shot themselves in the foot when they got reduced to ten men after Jeffry Fortes was sent off for pulling Evangelos Pavlidis by the shirt, with the referee awarding Willem II a spot-kick.

Mike Tresor outwitted Okoye from 12 yards out to make it two-nil to the visitors. It could have gotten worse for Sparta moments later when Kwasi Okyere Wriedt looked certain to score, but Okoye pulled off an excellent save to keep the scoreline respectable.

It has not been the best of time, though, for Okoye, who has not kept a clean sheet for his club since January 28 in his side’s 0-0 draw with FC Twente.

The Super Eagles goalkeeper has conceded goals against ADO Den Haag, Fortuna Sittard and cupped four against Ajax last week.