Maduka Okoye Tackles Pitch Invader And Was Hit By An Object As KNVB Begins Formal Investigation.

Super Eagles goalkeeper, Maduka Okoye had a Man Of The Match performance during the Sparta Rotterdam vs Vitesse Eredivisie game on Friday night.

Okoye first saved a penalty on 65 minutes after Spanish forward Adrian Dalmau had fouled a Vitesse player in the box. He also successfully stopped nine shots from finding the net in a hotly-contested match at the Gelredome.

The 22-year-old shot-stopper stood his ground when he was confronted by a pitch invader whom he chased away.

Okoye was later hit by a water bottle thrown from the home crowd which saw him go down immediately in his goal post, writhing in pain and Rotterdam players subsequently walked off the pitch and refused to return which led to the abandonment of the match by referee Rob Dieperink in the second half, just before the seven minutes additional time was exhausted

❌ Vitesse - Sparta is 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐟 gestaakt na wangedrag van het thuispubliek. pic.twitter.com/PTFnutWzV2

— ESPN NL (@ESPNnl) March 4, 2022

Sparta Rotterdam were 1-0 up away from home when the match was abandoned despite being involved in a relegation battle.

The visitors took the lead in the fifth minute, courtesy Adrian Dalmau.

It was a third clean sheet for Okoye this season following the sensational performance, keeping his relegation-threatened club’s hopes of remaining in the Eredivisie alive.

Following the violent behaviour of Vitesse Arnhem’s fans, The Royal Dutch Football Federation (KNVB) has announced an official investigation into the events that occurred on the pitch.

“The match between Vitesse and Sparta has been discontinued tonight (March 4, 2022) at a 0-1 score due to fireworks from the (home) public,” the league body said in a statement.

“This was done after consultation of the referee with both clubs. The incident will now be investigated by the disciplinary committee. The investigation will focus on the question of guilt for the incident. The professional football board will then have to decide what to do with the remainder of the match.”

The KNVB stated that the only three options for the abandoned Vitesse vs Rotterdam match to be completed includes; continuing the match from where it stopped and playing the entire match again.

"The board has three options here. The intermediate score (0-1) becomes the final score, the match must be continued from the moment of abandonment or the match must be replayed in its entirety," the statement said in part.