Nigerians steal show as Osimhen refuses to celebrate after scoring against Maduka

Nigerians took over Udine led by Victor Osimhen, Isaac Success and Maduka Okoye as Udinese and Napoli shared spoils.

It was a case of the Nigerian contingent taking centre stage as Victor Osimhen and Isaac Success traded blows for Napoli and Udinese respectively in an entertaining 1-1 draw in Udine.

Osimhen opened the scoring for the Serie A leaders with a towering first-half header but refused to celebrate against compatriot and friend Maduka Okoye in the Udinese goal.

However, fellow Nigerian Success had the final say, coming off the bench to deny Osimhen and Napoli all three points with a last-gasp equaliser deep into stoppage time.

Osimhen and Success Shine

The clash was a showcase of Nigerian talent on both sides, with Osimhen leading the line for the visitors before Success' heroics for the hosts.

Okoye also played his part with some smart saves, ensuring the game ended in a stalemate between the contingent of Super Eagles stars.

Osimhen broke the deadlock in typical fashion, outmuscling his marker to power home a bullet header and bag his 15th goal of the campaign.

But the former Lille man opted against celebrating out of respect for his compatriot Okoye, who was beaten by the brilliant effort before his Napoli teammates swamped around him.

Napoli looked to be closing in on a crucial win before Success intervened two minutes into injury time, firing home from close range to spark scenes of delirium.

The Udinese supersub, unlike his fellow countryman, celebrated his timely equaliser for the home side.

While Osimhen will be disappointed to have dropped more points, his goal continued an incredible scoring run but not enough to give the former champions all three points.

On the other end, Okoye's strong performance will have been a big positive, showing he can match teammates Osimhen and Success at the highest level.

The result leaves Napoli still eighth on the table, but now five points behind the last European spot currently held by Lazio.

But with such a wealth of Nigerian talent in their ranks, Napoli will back themselves to get over the line after a poor season.

Related content