Kwara United goalkeeper Suraj Ayeleso admits Bendel Insurance deserved NPFL win

Kwara United goalkeeper Suraj Ayeleso conceded that Bendel Insurance were the better side after his team suffered a 2–1 defeat at the Kwara State Stadium in Ilorin on Sunday.

The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) match was goalless at half-time, but the contest changed quickly after the interval.

Stephen Gideon gave Kwara United the lead in the 49th minute, raising hopes that the hosts would secure another positive result. However, Bendel Insurance responded almost immediately when Kayode Oke equalised three minutes later.

The visitors completed the turnaround in the 55th minute. Chinedu Nwosu scored the decisive goal as Bendel Insurance maintained their momentum and secured all three points away from home.

Ayeleso said Kwara United were disappointed not to build on the away point they picked up in Kano, while acknowledging the quality and discipline shown by their opponents.

“It’s quite unfortunate that we were unable to build on the away point we gained in Kano in the match against Bendel Insurance,” he said.

The goalkeeper also praised Bendel Insurance for the way they managed the game after recovering from the early setback.

“I will have to commend Bendel Insurance. They really outplayed us as they showed maturity.”

The defeat ended Kwara United’s attempt to follow up their previous result with another positive outcome, and Ayeleso said the team must now use the performance to identify areas for improvement.

Rather than dwell on the home loss, he called for the squad to assess both the encouraging aspects of the match and the mistakes that allowed Bendel Insurance to take control.

“We will work on the positives and address the lapses identified in the game,” Ayeleso added.

Kwara United will now turn their attention to their upcoming fixtures as they seek to respond to the defeat and recover from the setback on home soil.