Defending champions, Enyimba have ended a winless run against Bendel Insurance with a 2-1 win in the rescheduled MatchDay 1 fixture of the 2023/24 Nigeria Premier Football League yesterday.
Enyimba who last defeated Insurance 3-1 in 2008 bagged all three points from a feisty contest at the Enyimba International Stadium, Aba.
The hosts had started the game with intensity while controlling the affairs of the game but were unable to get the much-needed goal in the first half.
At the restart of the second half, ‘the Elephants’ made several incursions but the ‘Benin Arsenal’ defence line kept their hosts at bay.
With the inability to get the goals despite the possession, Finidi George made some tactical changes in the 56th minute and the complexity of the game changed which resulted in the first goal in the 70th minute.
Joseph Atule who had been a thorn in the flesh for the visitors opened the scoring but the lead was cut short five minutes later as Ismael Seriki equalised for Insurance.
Not deterred by the goal, Enyimba continued the dominance with 65% possession and having 6 shots on targets saw their efforts paying off in the 80th minute when Mbaoma Chijioke’s cutback was diverted which was enough to end the game with a 2-1 win.
Meanwhile, Heartland have announced the appointment of Kennedy Boboye as their new head coach.
Boboye takes charge from Christian Obi, who was sacked following the Naze Millionaire’s poor start to the season.
The Owerri club is yet to record a win in the NPFL this season after nine outings.
“We are pleased to announce that we have reached an agreement with two-time NPFL winning coach Kennedy Boboye,” reads a statement on the club’s X handle.
