By Amaechi Agbo
Bendel Insurance Football Club,Saturday, defeated Kun Khalifat F.C of Owerri 2-1 in one of the Match Day 30 fixtures of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) played at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium.
Akpan Emmanuel gave the Benin Arsenals a flying start to the thrilling encounter, scoring in the 4th minute after his long range strike caught Kun Kalifat goalkeeper Ejiogu Chijioke napping .Akpan’s early breakthrough, no doubt was the Benin Arsenals’ needed confidence booster as they continued to dictate the pace despite the visitors tough tackles.
Insurance players’ composure and discipline paid off in the 41st minute when Kayode Oke tapped on Emmanuel Dung’s line breaking pass to make it 2-0 for the host before half time.
Emmanuel Dung’s dazzling run unsettled the highly physical and combative Khalifat defenders in a one- on -one situation before releasing the fine pass, making it easy for Kayode Oke to strike the superb finish that sent the home crowd into jubilation.
The second half resumed with the visiting Kun Khalifat showing aggression as they came out smokey and their efforts paid off almost immediately as Gabriel Lekan struck to reduced the deficit in the 51st minute to make it 2–1.
Insurance maintained their composure as the match progressed fiercely as the visitors continued to search for an equaliser while the coach Kennedy Boboye side were also hungry for more goals after the hosts had made triple substitution, withdrawing Akpan Emmanuel, Dung Emmanuel and Udom Wisdom for Efe Ubiomo, Chinedu Nwosu and Musa Sudes In the 67th minute,in a tactical switch that added value to their midfield.
The hard-fought 2–1 victory over Kun Khalifat F.C put Insurance back to 6th position on the league table with 44 points .
Recall that Insurance fc and KunKalifat in their first round meeting settled for a 1-1 draw in Owerri.
The Benin Arsenals are guests to their Niger Delta neighbours Warri Wolves in the match day 31 Fixtures scheduled for next weekend.
Never miss a moment! Get the stories shaping Nigeria, delivered straight to your phone. Follow Peoplesdaily Newspaper on WhatsApp for breaking news, exclusive reports, and the headlines everyone will be talking about, before anyone else.
