Chinedu Nwosu emerged as the match-winner for Bendel Insurance F.C. in Saturday’s Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) clash against Abia Warriors F.C. at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium.
The winger struck in the 62nd minute to secure a hard-fought 1-0 victory for the Benin Arsenals in a tightly contested encounter played behind closed doors.
Abia Warriors head coach Imama Amapakabo retained the same lineup that featured in their previous outing against Bayelsa United. On the other side, Bendel Insurance included in-form players Kayode Oke and Alex Oweilayefa in their starting XI.
The first half produced few clear-cut chances, with both sides failing to break the deadlock before the interval.
The decisive moment came 17 minutes after the restart when Nwosu capitalized on a loose ball following a poorly cleared free kick by the Warriors’ defense, calmly slotting home what proved to be the winner.
In response, Amapakabo introduced Fatai Abdullahi, Shedrack Asiegbu, and Chindi Merpring in place of Suraj Lawal, Valentine Ugwu, and Casmir Azubuike, hoping to rescue a point.
Despite a late surge and sustained pressure from the visitors, Bendel Insurance held firm to claim all three points, completing a double over Abia Warriors this season and taking four points from their two meetings.
The result keeps Abia Warriors in fourth place with 52 points, pending Sunday’s fixtures, while Bendel Insurance remain seventh with 49 points.
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.
