Maduka Okoye has become the first Nigerian goalkeeper in 11 years to keep at least 10 clean sheets in a single season in one of Europe's top five leagues.
The Super Eagles goalkeeper reached the milestone on Saturday when Udinese beat Cagliari 2-0 at the Unipol Domus in Sardinia. The shutout was his 10th of the Serie A season, the first time a Nigerian has reached double figures since Vincent Enyeama recorded 17 clean sheets for Lille in France during the 2014-15 campaign.
Okoye was forced into three saves to protect the lead, including a first-half fingertip stop to deny Gianluca Gaetano from close range. Udinese broke the deadlock in the 56th minute through Adam Buksa before Idrissa Gueye sealed the win in stoppage time.
The match was Okoye's 28th league appearance this season. He has conceded 30 goals and sits ninth in Serie A for clean sheets, despite missing the opening weeks of the campaign while serving a suspension related to betting irregularities involving associates.
The achievement ends a run stretching back to Enyeama's peak years at Lille, who set the benchmark for Nigerian goalkeepers in Europe's elite leagues. Okoye, 26, has re-established himself as Udinese's first-choice keeper in Italy after a difficult spell earlier in his career.