Super Eagles striker Simy on target but Salernitana exit Coppa Italia; Okoye, Ehizibue unused subs

Super Eagles forward Simeon Tochukwu Nwankwo maintained his strong start to the season with a goal in Salernitana's 3-1 loss to Udinese at the Bluenergy Stadium on Wednesday in the Coppa Italia.

Udinese took the lead in the 20th minute through Jaka Bijol, but Nwankwo equalized for Salernitana, scoring in the 25th minute with an assist from Ajdun Hrustic.

However, Lorenzo Lucca restored Udinese's advantage with a penalty in the 44th minute, and Jurgen Ekkelenkamp extended the lead just two minutes into the second half, finishing off a pass from Rui Modesto.

With this result, Udinese advance to the next round while Salernitana are eliminated from the competition.

Nwankwo's goal was his first in the Coppa Italia this season across two matches.

The 32-year-old has also been effective in Serie B, netting two goals and providing an assist in five games, taking his total goal involvements for the season to four in seven games.

Despite his strong individual performance, Salernitana has struggled in the league, currently sitting 14th with 7 points from 6 matches.

Simy has only made four appearances for the Nigerian national team since his debut in 2018, the last of which came against Argentina at the 2018 World Cup. 

However, his current form could open doors for further international opportunities.

Meanwhile, Maduka Okoye and Kingsley Ehizibue were unused substitutes for the Bianconeri in the match.

Adeyemi Adewale

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