By Nelson Dafe, Benin City on March 30, 2016

Bendel Insurance FC, once the dominant team in Edo State, is slipping further into the doldrums, failing once again to see off the challenge of a grassroots team in the Edo FA Cup. Yesterday at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City, BJ Foundation FC, the defending champions of the Edo FA cup, knocked out the Pro Division One Insurance 5-4 on penalties in the quarter-final of the competition, a result that could hardly be regarded as a shock, given the general low expectations from Benin fans about the prospects of a real resurgence by Insurance.

Insurance were thinking of restoring the normal order of winning the Edo FA Cup after their shock elimination in the first round by another grassroots side Inneh Stars, after two large margin wins in the first two rounds of this year’s competition.

But in their first real test of the 2016 Challenge Cup they kissed the dust embarrassingly.

BJ ramped up the pressure on Insurance in the early minutes of the match and scored a beautiful goal as marauding right full back Terry Igiebor beat his marker and sent a wicked cross which was met by a beautiful glancing header by Junior Osaghae. The Insurance goalkeeper simply had no chance and stood and watched as the ball kissed the inside corner of his net.

Insurance were seriously rattled by the quality of the goal and the energetic display of the BJ boys and would count themselves lucky not to have gone further behind immediately after the goal.

Moses Kalu, BJ’s defensive midfielder, hit the bar with a rocket of a free kick 30 yards from the Insurance goal while Igiebor missed a glorious chance when he raced into a beautiful pass and found himself one on one with the Insurance keeper.

From the middle point of the first half, Insurance began to enjoy some dominance for the first time in the match but failed to create much. However, just as the half was petering to an end, an exquisite beauty of a strike by Insurance’s Prince Isuku caught BJ ’keeper Shangar Anthony by surprise. Isuku finished off a sweet move of short passes with his 25-yard cracker that ended on the top right of Anthony’s net with the ’keeper’s dive proving futile.

The second half was more cagey as the sides became more cautious. There were no clear-cut chances before the centre referee blew for the end of the game.

BJ lost their first kick but held their nerves to triumph after Anthony saved one kick and Insurance blasted another wide.

The stadium erupted as BJ celebrated widely.

BJ coach Douglas Idahosa in appreciation of the heavy support his team enjoyed from the fans at the stadium threw 200 naira notes around the stadium and the fans scrambled to pick some cash to take home after witnessing the once feared Insurance fall again.

•Photo shows BJ’s starting line-up against Insurance. Standing from left; Ehis Unuabona, Junior Osaghae, Uche Ekpete, Terry Igiebor, Chinedu Chima, Shangar Anthony. Front row, from left; Moses Kalu, Francis Ikpomwonsa, Michael Enaruna, Abraham Odianose and Osamwonyi Osarenkhoe.

Source Daily Sports

Posted March 30, 2016

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