NPFL24: Insurance FC Surrender All Points In Lagos As Odigie Keeps Faith With Team

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By Sportsgister

The Head Coach and Technical Director of Bendel Insurance Football Club of Benin Monday Odigie has expressed the confidence that his team will return to winning ways and get better as the second round of the 2023/24 Nigeria Premier Football League progresses.

Coach Odigie made the assertion during a post match interview after his team Bendel Insurance FC lost 1-0 to Sporting Lagos in the Nigerian Premier Football League Match day 20 game at the Mobolaji Johnson Stadium, Onikan Lagos.

Insurance defeated Sporting Lagos 3;1 in the match day 19 fixture in Benin to end the first round of the league on high, but the Lagosians responded positively in the revised fixture as the second round kicked off.

” The game has come and gone, we will continue to work on our mistakes and continue to correct them and get better. Sometimes you are well prepared but some mistakes can cost you the game.”,Odigie said.

Coach Odigie however expressed the optimism that his team will regain its feet as the season progresses.

The noisy Lagosians started the game purposefully, attacking from the right flank with Goalkeeper Amas Obasogie and Sunday Anyanwu curtailing the offensives of the invaders to a goalless first half.

The hungry Sporting Lagos got the breakthrough in the 56th minute with Tochukwu Micheal’s well taken freekick from the edge of the box that breezed through beyond the reach of Amas Obasogie’s gloves.

Insurance goalkeeper and some of his defenders had appealed to the referee for a handball against Sporting in the build-up to the goal,but the centre referee ignored their appeals.

In his search for equalizer , coach Odigie introduced Chukwudi Meze, Austin Ogunye, Maurice Prince and Ikhenoba Raymond in the places of Stephen Sodje, Paul Obata, Chisom Okereke and Divine Nwachukwu in the 68th minute and 72 minutes which improved their game but could not change the result as the home team hung on to the one goal lead to the end.

Bendel Insurance with the loss in Lagos, is pushed a step downward to the 8th position on 30 points on the log and will be going back to Benin to prepare for another big encounter. They are up against former CAF champions and league defending champions Enyimba FC in the match day 21 game in Benin next weekend.