By Dayo Awoniyi
Kwara United suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat at home to Bendel Insurance in their Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Matchday 33 clash on Sunday, played at the Rashidi Yekini Main Bowl of the George Inih Stadium.
The decisive goal came in the 33rd minute, when Kayode Oke headed home from a corner kick, beating Kwara United goalkeeper Nurudeen Badmus.
Despite dominating large portions of the match and creating numerous scoring opportunities, the Harmony Boys were left to rue their missed chances.
Bendel Insurance’s goalkeeper produced a string of crucial saves in the second half to preserve the lead.
Speaking after the game, Kwara United head coach Tunde Sanni expressed disappointment over the result and his team’s lack of clinical finishing.
“It’s painful to lose at home again. We’re experiencing hard luck lately, and it’s frustrating,” Sanni said.
He also cited the absence of key players Shola AbdulRaheem and Akanni Akeem as a disruption to the team’s rhythm.
The defeat leaves Kwara United in 11th place on the NPFL standings. The team will now turn their attention to the President Federation Cup, where they face Solution FC on Wednesday before resuming league action with an away fixture against Heartland FC in Owerri.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
