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Tag 2017/2018 Nigeria National League (NNL)

Sport

NNL: Bendel Insurance FC beat 3SC to go top of Group B1

Defeat

By Monday Ajogun

Benin, Nov. 5, 2018 (NAN) Bendel Insurance Football Club of Benin on Monday brightened their chances of returning to the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) after 11 years of languishing in the lower league.

The Insurers came from behind to defeat visiting 3SC of Ibadan 2-1 in a replayed 2017/2018 Nigeria National League (NNL) match in Benin.

The replay match was abandoned on Sunday due to poor visibility caused by rainfall.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 3SC had taken the lead in the third minute of the game through Isiaka Mutiu on Sunday, before the rains stopped play.

Insurance FC, however, got the equaliser in the 56th minute of the game through Kabiru Abdulahi, when both sides returned to the match on Monday.

Charles Omokaro then converted a penalty kick for Insurance FC in added time, after a 3SC player was adjudged to have handled the ball in the penalty area.

With the result, Insurance FC now head Group B1 of the NNL with 29 points with one game in hand, against Spartans FC of Agege.

3SC, their nearest challengers, are with 28 points and have played their last group match which was against Insurance FC.

Speaking afterwards, Bauldwin Bazuaye, Bendel Insurance FC’s head coach, commended his players for beating 3SC.

Bazuaye said he was happy that his players played to instructions and deserved to win.

Speaking also after the match, the Deputy Governor of Edo, Philip Shaibu, said the team did a great job by coming from behind to win the game.

“The win was a well-deserved one, because Insurance FC have been out of the professional league for the past 11 years now and I believe this win will take us to the top of our group,” he said.(NAN)

AJOM/DEB/OLAL

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(Edited by Debo Oshundun and Olawale Alabi)

 

Sport

NNL: Bendel Insurance beat Warri Wolves 1-0

Match
By Monday Ajogun
Benin, May 20, 2018 (NAN) A late penalty kick by Arinze Okorie ensured the maximum points for Bendel Insurance Football Club of Benin against visiting Warri Wolves in a Nigeria National League (NNL) fixture.

Okorie scored the only goal of the 1-0 win through a penalty kick in the dying minutes of the match played at the University of Benin Sports Complex on Saturday.

Bendel Insurance FC’s Head Coach, Baldwin Bazuaye, later told sports writers that while his players were not totally lively in the game, they were still able to get the job done.

He however said the situation was because they were mourning the club’s late Media Officer, Edoseghe Eguakun.

On his part, Head Coach of Warri Wolves, Napoleon Aluma, said the penalty kick awarded the home side was controversial.(NAN)
AJOM/DOE/OLAL
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(Edited by Dianabasi Effiong and Olawale Alabi)

 

Sport

2017/2018 NNL: ABS FC record first victory in emphatic win over FC Taraba

NNL
By Olayinka Owolewa
Ilorin, May 12, 2018 (NAN) ABS Football Club of Ilorin on Saturday defeated visiting FC Taraba of Jalingo 4-0 in a Match Day 3 fixture of the 2017/2018 Nigeria National League (NNL) season.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the match was played at the Kwara Stadium Complex in Ilorin.

ABS FC began the rout two minutes into the game when Tosin Olabode’s cross found an unmarked Sunday Damian and the winger made no mistake with a header.

The hosts were pegged to their half after their visitors who arrived for the match few hours to the game and were dominating possession for most part of the first half.

Four minutes later, Abubakar Chindo would have doubled the lead for ABS FC but his solo effort hit the post.

In the 27th minute, the centre referee, Michael Uba from Kaduna State, awarded a penalty kick, when a FC Taraba defender was adjudged to have handled the ball in the box.

Abdulrahman Abdullahi converted the penalty kick, even though Reuben almost saved it in the 29th minute.

Deemua Best made it 3-0 in the 32rd minute when his free-kick was deflected into the FC Taraba net.

Damian was close to scoring his second of the game in the 42nd minute but FC Taraba defenders reacted well to deny him.

The visitors restarted the game better in the second half and they were threatened on a few occasions.

But the duo of Deemua Best and Sunday Damian would not stop entertaining the crowd with their mesmerising displays.

Four minutes into resumption, Yusuf Abubakar’s perfect cross into the FC Taraba penalty box met an unmarked Best.

But he was not composed enough to utilise the opportunity, and he instead nodded wide.

Midway into the second half, ABS FC regained their dominance and kept the duo of Sunday Mannassey and Yusuf Yakubu very busy in the heart of the defence of FC Taraba.

Yusuf Abubakar completed ABS FC rampage in the 76th minute, when he dribbled past a FC Taraba defender and curled the ball into the top corner of the Taraba’s net 4-0.

Speaking after the match, the coach of ABS FC, Tunde Sanni, said he was sure everyone was satisfied because of the margin.

But he said he would have preferred more goals because his wards wasted too many chances.

“The numbers of goals we wasted was disturbing. We must go back and work on how to convert the opportunities we threw away today.

“We were serious today, the fact that we scored early in our first home game got into our heads and we threw away the lead and drew 1-1.

“We must work on how to defend our early lead, when you score first does not mean you have won the game but you must defend it,” Sanni said.

His FC Taraba counterpart, Weso Mathew, a Cameroonian, had said the bad travelling plans destabilised them and his boys could not even move well.

“We left Jalingo yesterday (Friday) at 3 p.m. and we arrived around 2 p.m. today (Saturday).

“The boys didn’t do any shake-up. We ate late and the players were not able to move.

“I couldn’t believe it was my team I was watching,” Mathew said.

NAN reports that ABS FC now have four points from three games and will travel to Kaduna to face Kaduna United for a Match Day 4 fixture on Saturday.(NAN)
OOH/OLAL
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(Edited by Olawale Alabi)

 

Sport

Road Safety FC draw 1-1 with hosts ABS FC on NNL opening day

NNL

By Olayinka Owolewa

Ilorin, April 28, 2018 (NAN) Road Safety Football Club of Abuja on Saturday forced hosts ABS FC of Ilorin to a 1-1 draw.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the match was an opening game in the 2017/2018 Nigeria National League (NNL).

NAN also reports that the match which was played at the Kwara Stadium Complex saw the hosts in front in the game’s opening 10 minutes through Sunday Damian.

Damian had connected a long ball from Toyin Alege before firing into the roof of the net in the 9th minute.

They then dominated most of the proceedings for the duration of the of the first stanza of the game.

The visitors restarted the game better than their hosts in the second half and were always dangerous moving forward.

Ayamkyegh Gary was always tormenting the ABS midfield through to the defence with his array of passes.

In the 67th minute, Philip Edeh beat the offside trap to connect Gary’s pass for the ABS FC equaliser.

ABS FC coach, Tunde Sanni, had introduced Deemua Best and Tosin Olabode to fortify his defence, but that did not yield any positive result for the Saraki Boys.

In the game’ s closing minutes, the hosts had two appeals for penalty kicks ignored by the centre referee Mohammed Gimba from Niger State.

Speaking after the game, Sanni described the result as unfortunate and could not explain what went wrong with his boys because they did not play in the ABS FC way.

“1 am surprised with our display today. We were comfortable playing badly.

“It is as if we lost this game. The team shouldn’t have survived us.

“Our technical display today was poor. Some of my key players let me down. They didn’t come to the party,” Sanni said.

The ABS FC coach explained that some of his experienced players did not step up before the game.

His Road Safety FC counterpart, Akinade Onigbinde, said it was a tough match because the hosts were a blend of experienced and young players.

“We understand that they can hold on to the ball and possessed well.

“I knew that they won’t be able to do the same thing they did in the first half and in the second half. That is the reason we came out at them” Onigbinde said.

ABS FC will now travel to Kaduna to lock horns with Kada FC for their match day 2 fixture on Saturday.(NAN)

OOH/OLAL

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(Edited by Olawale Alabi)