The Nigerian international had found the back of the net in six consecutive games and was at it again to pull the Pythagoreans back on levelled terms on Saturday
Simy Nwankwo scored his 17th Serie A goal of the season to grab a second-half equaliser for Crotone in their Serie A clash against Udinese at the Stadio Ezio Scida.
Crotone are fighting hard to beat the drop, but Rodrigo De Paul’s effort handed the visitors the lead late in the first half.
But Simy struck the equaliser for Serse Cosmi’s men from the penalty spot midway through the second period after Stefano Okaka Chuka handled the ball in the area.
It was the Nigerian forward’s tenth goal in his last seven matches for the Pythagoreans.
No other striker – not even Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, or Robert Lewandowski – in Europe’s top five leagues was as prolific as the 28-year-old in March and early April when he found the back of the net eight times in five games.
And Simy has remained unstoppable since, netting in the 3-2 defeat at Spezia a week after smashing a double at the Diego Maradona Stadium against Napoli.
Despite boasting one of the best strikers on the continent, Crotone’s defensive frailties continue to weigh them down.
Moments after Simy dragged the home side back in the tie, Rodrigo De Paul went past several onlooking defenders to grab his second of the game and the visitors’ winner.
It will be a massive miracle for Crotone to avoid the drop now as the Pythagoreans need wins in each of their last seven league matches to stand a chance of avoiding relegation.
The Serie A basement side has lost 12 of their last 13 games.
