Bendel Insurance Football Club of Benin, suffered a 1-0 loss in the hands of Gombe Utd in Match Day Four of the 2023/24 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) on Sunday at the Pantami Stadium in Gombe.
The match which kicked off at 3:00 PM under the scotching sun, saw Ahmed Jimoh netting the only goal of the match for Gombe Utd in the 52nd minute with a low drive which went beyond the reach of the Benin Arsenals goalie, Amas Obasogie, into the right corner of the net.
The encounter had ended goaless in the first half after some good scoring chances had been missed by Insurance FC strikers. Sarki Ismael’s 40th minute one-on-one shot that went wide would have put Insurance in front before halftime break.
Insurance Manager in his search for equalizer, made double substitutions in the 74th minute of the game with Austin Ogunye and Jude Ebhohon replacing Sarki Ismael and Paul Obata, but the host defended the three points jealously to the end.
Insurance won their first two matches of the season they played in Benin, beating Shooting Stars and Plateau Utd 2-0 and 1-0 respectively to stay atop the log with six points before Gombe Utd clash.
In a post match interview, Insurance FC coach Monday Odigie said that he did not get the result he wanted in Gombe but appreciates the team spirit of the Benin Arsenals.
“No team plan to lose in any game. We came to Gombe, expecting good result but it didn’t happen. We are going back home to look at our weakness and mistakes, and work on them ahead of our next match.
“All teams in the Nigeria Premier Football League are to be respected because there is no small team or pushovers. Today, we made a mistake and our opponents took advantage of it and that cost us the game,” Odigie said
Also speaking, Gombe Utd coach Mohammed Babaganaru said that he was very happy to beat the strongest team in the country.
“I am very happy that our strategy worked.
“Insurance has the best defence and they are very difficult to crack. I thank God we were able to break through today.
“We played against them last season and we couldn’t score against them. They are highly disciplined, with strong character. We planned seriously to break their unbeaten run because we all know the history Insurance created last season when they finished the abridged league without losing any match.
“Our team is getting better with new approach and determination. I am proud of my boys,” Mohammed said joyfully.
Bendel Insurance FC will be at home against Akwa Utd on Saturday, October 28 at the Samuel Ogbemudia stadium, Benin City, in the NPFL Match Day 5 fixture.
