Nigeria Super Eagles goalkeeper Maduka Okoye was unable to keep a clean sheet as Udinese suffered a 1-0 defeat to Cremonese in Sunday's Serie A fixture.

The loss was Okoye's 29th appearance of the season — a campaign in which the Nigerian international has kept 10 clean sheets while conceding 31 goals in total.

Cremonese drew first blood as early as the 8th minute through a James Vardy opener, and that solitary strike proved enough to settle the contest. Despite falling behind, Udinese created a string of goal-scoring opportunities but lacked the composure to convert any of them.

Adams Buksa came closest to drawing Udinese level, but his low-driven shot struck the crossbar and bounced clear, summing up a frustrating afternoon for the home side.

Cremonese, for their part, held firm at the back and defended with real resolve, shutting down every Udinese attack to claim all three points on the road.