Maduka Okoye kept goal for Sparta Rotterdam but could not prevent them from losing 2-0 at home to Willem II in the Dutch Eredivisie on Sunday, Completesports.com reports.
Sparta Rotterdam are now winless in their last seven games (five defeats and two draws).
Sunday’s defeat means they have lost their last three games.
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Che Nunnely opened scoring for Willem II on 67 minutes before Mike Tresor sealed the win with the visitor’s second from the penalty spot on 78 minutes.
Sparta Rotterdam had a player sent off after Jeffry Fortes was a shown a straight red card.
The loss means they now occupy 13th on 23 points in the 18-team league table.
By James Agberebi
Got what it Takes?
Predict and Win Millions Now
28 Comments
Dele Alampasu is far better than Okoye.
Alampasu dey chop bench for Latvia o.
hmmm okeye dey concieve goals ooo
Okoye is just elegant but he lacks any special talent as a goal keeper, he is a time bomb waiting to explode I pray for Nigeria.
I still see uzoho taking over the first position as super eagles goalie, this okoye guy doesn’t inspire confidence at all. There are other goalies playing in less fancied leagues and division but the Super Eagles scout will not notice them until they come to prominence. I really hope we get a goalie as good as enyeama or atleast ikeme. This okoye guy is not the,answer to our goal keeping problems.
This guy to me is just one over hyped guy. He’s just so lucky because he has German origin. Uzoho is better than him. Let’s tell ourselves the truth and stop playing the Oyinbo pikin tag..smh
Sometimes a goalkeeper can’t help some goals from being conceeded and so the buck doesn’t entirely stop at his desk.
If your defenders are calamitous—no matter how good you are as a goalkeeper—you are bound to conceed more than fair share of goals.
We shouldn’t forget that earlier on when he became the first choice of his club, Okoye went on some good run of clean sheets and he became the toast of many.
I’m not saying he is the finished product or he is the best we’ve got at the moment,but it will be fair if we atleast cut him some slack.
yeah great talk
Okoye is not the we have at the moment!
Uzoho is still more experienced than him.
Advantage of okoye is his quickness as a modern goalkeeper, he is good with long Lange shot but poor in one on one, in fact he will rather safe himself than thinking of saving the ball ⚽️ from going in.
His biggest advantage is that he uses his true age which means with time he will be better, baring injury he will serve us for many years.
For now I personally rate uzoho ahead of him.
Samuel Chukwueze gave a good account of himself today and was duly named the official “Man of the match” despite losing 0:2 against Athletico Madrid today. Better luck next time
I’m waiting for that super nitendo ex-footballer to come and call Rohr a desperate coach when he lists him for the next round of qualifiers. If Emery can feature samu for 90 mins barely days after returning from surgery I wonder why his national team cannot have him in 4 weeks time. When some people are hell bent on pushing their own agendas, they will even fault the fact that plants breathe in carbodioxide and breathe out oxygen…..LMAO
Hahahaha… So I be supernitendo now? Well… Samuel case is different from Osimhen… I think if samu logged 90 minutes then he is fit and it’s safe to include him in the squad… for Osimhen, even if he is 200% fit… It will be better to let the young man continue in confidence with his club for now… My own take though! @Dr.Drey… Chukwueze back to fitness is pleasing to all. One love…
We have to learn to be patient with our young goalkeepers. Goalkeeping position is always the hardest to gather enough experience in, because the same exact scenario in which you committed a blunder today might not come again in another 10 matches for you to learn from it. And that is why most goalkeepers peak when approaching the twilight of their careers. Goalkeeping is majorly an art of awareness and insight and that only grows with age and years of on the job experience. The Enyeama and Ikeme we desire in these young ones will come with years and years of goalkeeping experience.
The Enyeama of 2010 was built over 8 years (when we were going to the 2004 AFCON, the press even said we were going without a goalkeeper…that late Sam Okoye or Arugo monkey would have been better choices) We all know the heights enyeam attained subsequently. The Ikeme of 2015 was built over 8 years….we all know how many years of loan deals it took Ikeme to tie down the no 1 spot at Wolverhampton wanderers. The Rufai of 1994 was built over 10 yrs (dating back to when he was washing the boots of the likes of Ogendengbe and Fregene in the green eagles camp as an upcoming goalie). Shorunmu had been part of our 94 squad under Westerhoff…we all saw his emergence in the 2000s.
Uzoho committed just 1 mistake vs Seychelles and y’all fans and the press (in their usual oversabi) descended on him like hawks and he was subsequently dropped for Akpeyi. Only 1 match Uzoho kept vs Tunisia at nations cup we saw a difference btw him and the rest that was as clear as day and night. We could have used that tournament to sharpen him but we rather wasted it on a 32 year old Akpeyi due to our impatience. It will take Okoye another 3 years to get to Uzoho’s current level….3 years an Uzoho would have used to get nearer to the Enyeama we want to see. I’ve seen Uzoho’s last 3 to 4 matches and he has been breathtaking. Okoye still has a long way to go but the consolation is that he could be around for a really long time, maybe another 15 to 20 yrs (of course we know he is truly a 20yr old)….but for now…UZOHO anyday anytime.
Who give monkey sense today? Lol just kidding but for real.
Hehehehe…..Eranko. The question is did you forget to eat the grass your owner usually gives you to render you senseless and unable to comprehend and reason like a human…..? Bcos for once since your existence on this platform, you displayed an unusual humanlike ability to comprehend simple stuff.
Hahahahaha my small boi. If you fit behave small I go like you.
Whenever the real Dr. Drey writes and you close your eyes will you will still see the real Dr. Drey in the write-up! I most at times hail your knowledge of this round leather game call football.
You Sabi football analysis! I learn from your write up always but not your insults whenever you decided to fireback at some as i always felt like there was no need for it really.
May God the Almighty keeps improving you more and more in this game and give you the necessary wisdom to handling the life hurdles now and forever. Ameen as I will love to see the pix behind this wisdom holder comes one day!
Give out peace always if you want peace: one love!
you will know the real dr dery
Clone giving himself accolade.
Expertly superb from Dr Drey. Thumbs up man. You sounded like one that has been between the sticks. Watched Okoye severally, and must confess, he doesn’t invoke that confidence in me yet but one thing is sure about him, he is got huge potentials. So he is definitely one for the future but not ripe yet to be SE first choice. HE NEEDS TO BE BRAVE ATTACKING BALLS IN HIS GOAL AREA AND MUST LEARN TO BE VERY VERY VOCAL, COMNANDING HIS DEFENDERS TO COVER UP LOOSE ENDS. ANYWAY, HE STILL HAS A PLACE IN THE SE BUT NOT FIRST CHOICE IN MY OPINION.
Much Respect @Abdul, @Frank, @Glory. Y’all are sincerely appreciated.
Okoye is a good goalkeeper and the only problem he has is team,sparta defense is worst,if okoye is in a good club like;man utd,chelsea,bayern,leicester that have solid defense,okoye would have been the talk of the moment and i cant blame because it depend on your club,tell mendy or any goalkeeper in epl like man city keeper to come to spart he will concede more than okoye.
A Goalkeeper is as good as his defense. There are some goals you can’t blame a goalkeeper for.98% of goals okoye has conceded hasn’t been his fault.in fact I watched their game against ajax,if it wasn’t for his breathtaking saves it would have been 10 against them.if okoye has been at fault, he should have been dropped by the coach,it is a simple logic.Mac Tenstegen conceded 8 goals against Bayern, 4 against PSG, 4 against madrid, all in recent time,does that make him a bad keeper? Okoye is good,but he can be better. Is he a national team material? Yes because he hasn’t committed any sort of blunder since his introduction to National team.uzoho is good but if he was that excellent, he won’t be playing in Cyprus.The potential okoye has shown in his appearance for SE is way better than what uzoho did when he started…okoye is good,if you know any goalkeeping blunder he has committed tell me.
No one has said Okoye is bad. But if you truly have been watching his games, you will agree he is weak in one on one situations and control of his area. In contrast Uzoho has kind of become a boss in those areas, coupled with his international experience….he clearly edges Okoye.
You forget that Uzoho has kept in Laliga and Segunda Liga too…..the fact that he now keeps in Cyprus does not take anything out of his abilities as a proven goalkeeper….infact it’s a testament to the faith placed in him that despite his injury woes, he is still trusted good enough to be a professional goalkeeper in Europe. Uzoho has just been very unlucky with injuries. Injuries somehow conspire against him at crucial points in his career….but he most times finds a way to return from injuries to fight his way back to the no1 position in any club he finds himself. Injury robbed him of his full loan experience at Elche. Injuries also scuppered a happy loan ending at Anorthosis Famagusta….but he did enough for Omonia to want him on loan the next season despite still injured. In the few games he played at Omonia, he still did enough for APOEL to want to sign him on a permanent deal only for him to suffer another long term injury at the beginning of the season while on national duty. Don’t forget APOEL is a regular Europa or UCL club. But since he returned from injury and fought his way back to being no 1, APOEL has won more points compared to when he wasn’t in goal. Infact APOEL would have been contesting the championship playoffs now had Uzoho been called in earlier in the season than when he eventually was.
Uzoho’s clean sheets record as a professional goalkeeper in Europe reads 26 clean sheets in 52 matches. That’s exactly 50% clean sheet ratio. I bet you Francis needs just 2 seasons of uninterrupted goalkeeping at club and international level and he will be in a far better club than Sparta Rotterdam.
It’s not beans for an African goalkeeper to have manned the post at full professional level for 5 European clubs…….and the boy is even still “22” years old. The international experience Okoye is just gathering has been amassed by Uzoho since 3 years ago. Aloy Agu should pls bring back our Uzoho. His performances vs Ukraine and vs Brazil has shown us he is our No 1 at the moment….in Okoye we have a perfect capable deputy.
I agree with you..
_Number One Slot Still Up For Grabs_
Super Eagles temporary first choice goalkeeper Maduka Okoye conceded his 27th goal of the season out of 17 league matches in Rotterdam’s 2:0 loss to Williem 11 fc which firmly fanned the flame of doubts that many Nigeria fans hold against his (current) goalkeeping capabilities.
Okoye made his Super Eagles entrance on September 13 2019 against Brazil following a nasty knee injury to Francis Uzoho. With 27 minutes to go, Okoye looked jittery and slightly overcome by the occasion with his demeanour.
But that is understandable.
Here was a 19 year old division 4 goalkeeper making his debut for 3 times African champions against 5 times world champions (and the most flamboyant team in world football).
But he overcame his initial trepidations and held his own admirably to help Nigeria maintain a respectable 1:1 draw.
He has gone on to make 5 appearances for Nigeria, having to pick the ball out of Super Eagles’ net 6 times in the process.
Maduka Okoye has come a long way from making his Nigeria debut: he now plays elite division football and is currently the Super Eagles temporary number one goalkeeper.
But doubts exist and persist about his current goalkeeping capabilities and the question is, why?
From the way I see it, I think it is a matter of ‘precociousness’. Not necessarily how he is performing at the moment but the signs one can reasonably deduce from that performance.
One thing I like about Okoye is his dedication. The young man comes across as a footballer who takes his career very seriously. He is skillful no doubt and will learn from his mistakes (like most goalkeepers do). He is also the quintessential passionate dual nationality Nigeria international: one who chose Nigeria in the days of his youth without waiting ‘to first of all focus on his club career’.
However, when you see Okoye dispense his duties, the question that springs to mind is: will he develop into a top quality goalkeeper? Okoye looks very promising but is he precocious?
You always get the sense that there is another young goalkeeper just round the corner waiting to wrestle the number one shirt from Okoye.
It is not the mistakes he is making, it is not the number of goals he is conceding but about aspects of goalkeeping skills that do not seem to come more naturally to him. Once he fully develops these aspects (which he will), it stands to reason that Okoye’s development might be different from goalkeepers who seem to possess these attributes more innately (those who only have to build on what is already a supreme inner gift/talent).
With an attacker bearing down at Okoye, he does not seem to approach that scenario with a ‘natural conviction’. His punches, deflections, reactions, staring positions and dives are good and will get better with age.
Yet, even at this early stage, one has to wonder whether he will sharpen these skills enough to get him to the elite spectrum that someone like Enyeama eventually occupied. Some people will say yes, some will say no but for me, only time will tell.
At the very least, his talent, skills and application coupled with improvements that will come with age and experience should make Okoye continue to claim one of the 3 Super Eagles goalkeeper slots for seasons to come.
But, there is just the sense that Nigeria can put forward another young sharper shot-stopper which is why Okoye’s hold on the Super Eagles number one shirt is weak. And perhaps why a body of Super Eagles fans have their doubts.
Without a shadow of a doubt, Okoye will improve. He will get better and has it in him to remain relevant to the Super Eagles for many years to come. But, I suspect that a sharper, more precocious goalkeeper with better reflexes and superior skills might yet emerge to claim the Super Eagles number one slot.
And, if Francis Uzoho can build his fitness level up to the point it was when he got injured against Brazil in 2019, he appears to have more instruments in his goalkeeping toolkit to claim back the Super Eagles number one slot.
…it is good we having the conversation;
Great to know we got keepers plying their trade in Europe and playing regularly..
As it were;
My pick would be Uzoho.
He has the presence needed.
He has the commanding aura I Don’t see in Okoye right now.
And as explained vividly by @Dr Drey and @Deo above; Uzoho is more experienced of both.
No one knows what might transpire tomorrow .
But right now. I would go with Uzoho for number one.
When it comes to Okoye, I’m a bit sentimental. I started liking the guy after an interview he had with Oma.He resoundingly told Oma that it was Nigeria or no other country……that he will never play for Germany no matter the offer. He spoke with so much vehemence, conviction and finality. Unlike some of his elders who have been fooling themselves by saying ‘they are focusing on their club careers’, the small boy decided to focus on Nigeria without wasting any time.
Sentiments apart, Okoye is a very good goalkeeper. He did so well against Algeria, Tunisia and SL (second leg). The full highlights are still available on YouTube. In his club, he has been posting series of decent performances. Apart from having a good feet, he is good in one on one, a good reader of the game etc. That SL scored one of their goals against him via one on one doesn’t mean he is not good in one on one situations. He has saved tons of one on one goal-attempts in his club and even against Tunisia. Moreover, no goalkeeper can guarantee a safe for every one on one situation.
Okoye’s major problem is his defence. Apart from the fact that they let him down most of the times, he doesn’t take charge and command his defenders without fear or respect. He seems to be modest and respectful to his defenders, even when they are slacking. May be because of his age, personality or grooming. I dunno. But that’s flaw he has to address.
On the other hand, Uzoho is somebody I used to prefer above every other SE goalkeeper. I was one of the people who supported his emergence as number one goalkeeper after his SE debut against Argentina. He had been doing so well until he got married. Since then, it had been a rollercoaster for him……injuries, lack of fitness, errors, club inactivity etc.
What I like about Uzoho is that, he commands his area very well and is never afraid to shout at his defenders. But he is very prone to unexpected mistakes just like he did in one of our qualifiers. There are other errors he had made in some of our past matches, but because it didn’t lead to goal, nobody talked about it. Even in his club, he has been making a few howlers of recent. But he did exceptionally well in his last club match……he even saved a penalty.
For now, I stand with Okoye. But I will continue to monitor both of them for the next three weeks, before making a final decision…….before the international break