Bendel Insurance Football Club, Monday evening defeated Katsina United 1-0 in the Match Day 22 of the 2025 Nigeria Premier Football League(NPFL),and moved off the red zone .
Julius Emiloju scored the only goal in the match in the 26th minute of play. Anoor Isaac’s thrown in ball was poorly cleared by Katsina defenders and found Kayode Oke who promptly made it easy for the left fullback to calmly slot in. It was Emiloju’s first goal for the Benin Arsenals.
Both sides laboured without any rewards for their efforts throughout the remaining part of the game but the second half saw Katsina United pushed hard for an equalizer, with their lanky striker Bello Lukman causing Insurance backline to do extra work but Insurance held on till the final minutes to secure the much-needed victory which marked the return of their fans to the stadium in style.
The home victory did not only lift their spirits but also helped them regain their lost grounds in the league after their previous setback. Bendel Insurance has now moved out of the relegation zone and climbed to 15th position on the league table with 25 points after 21 games. They have an outstanding home game with Enyimba FC.
Bendel Insurance FC have been in fine form since Coach Greg Ikhenoba’s elevation as the head coach of the team. They were forced to a 2-2 draw by former league champions Rivers United in the match day 21 game at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium,PortHarcourt on Thursday and have not lost any match since their 2-1 loss to Katsina Utd in their first round meeting on September 15,2024.
Bendel Insurance has Shooting Stars of Ibadan as their host in the next fixture and away victory in Ibadan would keep them clear completely off the drop zone.
In a post match interview, the coach of Bendel Insurance Greg Ikhenoba said he was happy to get the maximum points and noted that his team will continue to work hard. He insisted that team needs to do more in order to be comfortable outside the red zone.
Also speaking,the match winner Julius Emiloju said he was excited to score the goal that gave his side hard-earned victory.
