sports
Nigeria goalkeeper Okoye plays full 90 minutes in 2-1 loss to Portugal after serving betting suspension
Maduka Okoye played the full 90 minutes and recorded four saves in Nigeria's 2-1 loss to Portugal on Thursday. A social media post about the goalkeeper has drawn millions of views.
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Nigeria lost 2-1 to Portugal in a World Cup friendly match on Thursday. Maduka Okoye, the Nigerian goalkeeper, played the full 90 minutes and recorded four saves with an 83% passing percentage. Okoye has drawn widespread attention online since the match.
The X account Blackish Press posted about him on June 11, 2026. 8 million views, 440 comments, 43,000 likes, and 3,600 saves. Blackish Press later reposted the original post with two additional shirtless photos of Okoye.
The images showed his muscles and tattoos running across his arms, chest, and back. " Okoye was recalled to the Nigeria national team in November 2025 ahead of a CAF 2026 World Cup Play-off tournament in Morocco. He had completed a two-month suspension for his part in an illegal betting scheme.
The suspension followed a potential four-year ban for sporting fraud. Okoye deliberately received a yellow card for time wasting in the 64th minute of a Serie A match between Udinese and Lazio while Udinese led 2-1.
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