By Amosu Adeboye, LAGOS
Rangers have surrendered their 13 game unbeaten run in the Nigeria Professional Football League following a 2-1 defeat to Bendel Insurance on Thursday at the UNIBEN Sports Complex, Benin.
The game was moved by one day after the Nigeria Football Referee Association threatened not to send any of it members to Benin again due to the alleged unguarded utterance of the Edo Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu.
Shaibu had allegedly stated that he may not guarantee the safety of match officials to the Edo Arsenal’s home ground owing to alleged dubious officiating.
The NRA eggheads allegedly demanded for a letter from the office of the Deputy Governor stating that the safety of the match officials will be assured but after the back and forth the Nigeria Football Federation and the League Management Company waded into it and the game went ahead yesterday.
Bendel Insurance who had only three matches prior to the game came out in daring fashion to upset form book and their cause was helped when Enugu Rangers’ in-form striker, Pascal Seka received a second bookable
offence and to leave to reduce his team to 10 midway into the first half.
Junior Osaghae put the home team in the driver’s seat in the 36th minute but it took only three minutes for the depleted Flying Antelopes to find an equaliser through Kelvin Itoya before Stephen Sodje scored what turned out to be the match-winner in the 52nd minute.
Insurance by virtue of the win slipped out of the relegation zone to the sixth position with 21 points from 16 games while Enugu Rangers still remain in first position with 31 points from 15 games.
Gbenga Ogunbote’s men still have a game at hand against Rivers United billed for next midweek in Port Harcourt.
