Bendel Insurance of Benin City clinched a hard-fought 1-0 win against Plateau United, but their head coach, Monday Odigie, was not entirely pleased with the outcome, platinumnewsng.com is reporting.
In the 13th minute, Bendel Insurance was awarded a penalty after a foul on Ogunye Austin inside the box. Tarimu Benjamin stepped up to take the spot-kick and expertly converted in the 15th minute, providing an early lead for Bendel Insurance.
Plateau United however made an attempt to equalize in the 32nd minute, with Sam Pam heading just wide after an excellent cross from the Plateau United left-back.
With the Peace Boys fighting hard, the game became an end-to-end affair just before half-time with Plateau United pushing for an equalizer, while Bendel Insurance sought to extend their lead.
Bendel Insurance went through a half-time double substitution as Paul Obata was replaced by Vincent Augustus, and Sarki Ismail replaced Austin Ogunye.
The changes were aimed at strengthening the team’s performance in the second half but there was no visible improvement.
In the 63rd minute, Bendel Insurance made further substitutions, with Akpos Godbless and Junior Christopher coming on for Ebohon Jude and Haruna Abubakar. Despite the tactical adjustments, Akpos Godbless had a big opportunity in the 74th minute from a counter-attack but could not find the target.
The 80th minute saw an unexpected twist as Evans Ogbonda replaced the substitute Vincent Augustus. Yellow cards were shown in the 84th minute to Bendel Insurance’s Sunday Anyanwu, adding a bit of drama to the game.
Despite the five attacking changes of Coach Odigie, Bendel Insurance managed to hold on to their 1-0 lead and secure the victory.