Akor Adams came out on top in Friday night’s all-Nigerian duel in Serie A, playing the full 90 minutes as Venezia beat Maduka Okoye‘s Udinese 2-1 at the Stadio Pierluigi Penzo — a result that sent Udinese to the bottom of the table and handed Adams a timely reminder of his worth just days after Eric Chelle named his Super Eagles squad for the Tanzania qualifiers.
It was a night of sharp contrasts for the two Nigerians. Adams ended it on the winning side, celebrating a first victory after three straight defeats, while Okoye spent another evening picking the ball out of his own net as Udinese’s miserable run stretched to eight defeats in nine league games.
How Venezia won it at the Penzo
Venezia started the game on the front foot, and Antoine Hainaut tested Okoye inside the opening six minutes with an effort the goalkeeper did well to keep out. The first half ended goalless, but the game burst into life after the break.
Keinan Davis went clean through for Udinese moments after the restart, only for Venezia goalkeeper Filip Stankovic to deny him, and the hosts made the visitors pay. Hainaut whipped in a cross from the right in the 54th minute and Toma Basic slotted home from close range to open the scoring.
Udinese hit back almost immediately, levelling three minutes later when Matias Moreno turned the ball into his own net. But parity lasted only eight minutes. Kike Perez collected a pass from Pasquale Mazzocchi in the 65th minute and curled a stunning left-footed strike from outside the area into the top corner, leaving Okoye helpless.
Adams thought he had put the seal on the win with nine minutes left, only for his finish to be ruled out for offside. Venezia still held on for a huge three points, with Moreno heading wide from a corner and Simon Sohm seeing an effort blocked late on.
A timely reminder for Chelle
The timing could hardly have been better for Akor Adams. When Chelle announced his 24-man squad for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Tanzania on Saturday, the Venezia striker was in — and Okoye was out.
Friday’s evidence backed the call. Adams worked the Udinese defence for the full 90 minutes and came within a flag of a goal, while Okoye conceded twice more in a season that keeps getting worse. The goalkeeper had already shipped five goals in Udinese’s 5-2 defeat at Roma on 31 October, and the loss in Venice was his club’s eighth in nine league outings.
Akor Adams will still want more from himself in front of goal. The 25-year-old has scored only twice in the league this season and has now gone four matches without finding the net, but his all-round shift at the Penzo was exactly the kind of performance that keeps a striker in a coach’s plans.
What it means for both clubs
For Venezia, the win ended a run of three consecutive defeats and lifted them off the bottom of Serie A, leaving them one point behind Monza. For Udinese, the picture is bleak: bottom of the table, a new manager in Paolo Zanetti still waiting for his first win after taking over from Kosta Runjaic, and no league game until after the international break.
Akor Adams now heads off to join the Super Eagles in Uyo, where Nigeria host Tanzania on Friday, 13 November, before the return leg in Zanzibar four days later. Okoye, left out of Chelle’s squad, stays in Udine to fight for his place — and on Friday’s showing, he has plenty of fighting to do.
For more on the qualifiers, check today’s predictions.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons — Akor Adams (CC BY 3.0, MHSC TV), Maduka Okoye (CC0); collage by SportsBuddy.
