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Warri Wolves boss Abdallah blames defensive lapses for Bendel Insurance defeat
Warri Wolves head coach Hassan Abdallah has attributed his side’s 2-1 defeat by Bendel Insurance to mistakes in central defence and an inability to protect their early lead in the opening match of the 2026/27 Euromatch NPFL season.
The Seasiders struck after only four minutes at Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City, where Towo Eventus gave the visitors an ideal start in Sunday’s South-South derby.
However, Bendel Insurance recovered when Kayode Oke Solomon equalised after 20 minutes. Alex Oweiyalefa then completed the turnaround two minutes into the second half, scoring the goal that secured maximum points for the hosts.
Warri Wolves were unable to find another response before the final whistle, and Abdallah said his team’s defensive performance had fallen below the required standard.
“We scored in the early stage (four minutes) of the match. But unfortunately, we couldn’t hold on to the lead until the end of the first half,” Abdallah, the former Heartland of Owerri manager, told reporters at the post-match press conference.
“I saw some technical faults in our central defenders, which I’m going to work on with a view to correcting them,” he added.
Despite the result, Abdallah defended his decision to select a youthful side, with Warri Wolves fielding a team largely made up of new signings. The coach said he wanted to emphasise pace, energy and an age profile of between 18 and 20.
“As you rightly said, I paraded a bunch of very, very young players. The point is, I’m trying to prove some points that football now is a game of energy. And for you to be able to move faster and quicker, you must be within the age range of between 18–20 years. And that’s why I paraded a team of young players.”
Warri Wolves, who strengthened their squad with 14 new signings before the campaign, created opportunities but were unable to make them count. Abdallah said the way his players followed his tactical instructions was a positive feature of their performance.
He wants his team to build attacks through midfield, move the ball towards the flanks and deliver crosses into the area.
“But then, my motivation to them is that I’ve got my own philosophy. I always like my team to knock the ball right from the middle (midfield) and then put it at the sides (flanks), and then square the ball and score.
“They followed the instruction. They did very well, as you could see. They played as a team right from the build-up, from the goalkeeper through to the midfield and then to the attack. We had some chances, but we couldn’t convert them.
“I’ve corrected those lapses (poor conversion rate in front of goal) in the course of our training over the last two weeks. But we will still have to push again and make sure that we arrange our team very well and cohesively.
“I would say that we played very well. But for me, I’m not disappointed (with the outcome of the game). Just little lapses like inexperience were also there.”
Abdallah said more experienced players would be brought into the matchday squad gradually as the season develops.
“But we’re going to begin to gradually introduce some intelligent, experienced players in order to ensure that we correct those lapses.”
Warri Wolves’ next assignment will be against Rangers, the reigning NPFL champions and nine-time Nigerian champions. Abdallah said his side would approach the fixture without being intimidated by their opponents’ reputation.
“Yes, for me, I don’t have any problem (playing against Rangers at this stage of the season). Forget, that’s just a name (Rangers). You see, I believe nobody had expected us to play like this today. Maybe we’re going to make sure that we prepare very well.
“But those people (Rangers), I must say, it’s just a name. For me, I play real football. I don’t follow names. We’ve got our tactical plan. And we’ll make sure that we follow our tactics and play so that, at the end of the day, we win. That’s all.”