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How Eagles invitation inspired Obasogie’s NPFL record

By Daily Sports Nigeria on June 26, 2024

Bendel Insurance goalkeeper Amas Obasogie, who has just set a new record of clean sheets (18) in the Nigeria Premier Football League, has attributed the feat to his Super Eagles invitation at the start of the 2023–24 season as well as the efforts of Bendel Insurance teammates, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Obasogie made 34 appearances for Insurance in the just-concluded season and was not breached in 18 games, beating his closest challengers, Kayode Bankole of Remo Stars and Doma United’s Kingdom Osayi, who both had 15, as well as breaking Adewale Adeyinka’s record of 16 clean sheets, which was set in the 2020/21 season.

Although Insurance didn’t finish the season as highly as they would have desired (ninth), Obasogie’s influence still ensured they conceded the least number of goals (30).

Reflecting on his performance, the goalkeeper said his invitation to the Super Eagles camp in November 2023 for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Zimbabwe fueled his desire to be the best.

“That was like 80 per cent motivation because when I came back from the camp, we (Bendel Insurance) were going to face Enyimba in the league. It was a big game, and I needed to prove where I was coming from,” Obasogie told PUNCH Sports Extra.

Before his invitation to the Eagles camp, Obasogie had kept six clean sheets in seven games for Benin Arsenal. Although he didn’t keep a clean sheet against Enyimba, he provided the assist for Insurance’s goal in the game.

“Coming out of the camp, I had a different mentality about goals. I didn’t want to concede that I believed the quality of the players I played with in the Super Eagles had rubbed off on me, and I always felt that I could do better. So if we played any match in the NPFL, I always felt like I was playing for Nigeria and saw the opponents as another country.

“My teammates in insurance were also so good that I once joked that they were going to injure me with clean sheets.”

To win this season’s award and set a new record, Obasogie kept five clean sheets in Insurance’s last 10 matches of the season. Before then, he was stuck on 13, which he had recorded since March, while Bankole and Osayi added a couple to their figures.

According to him, Bendel Insurance was another factor that fueled the competition.

“When my brothers (Kingdom Osayi and Kayode Bankole) were ahead, I was very happy for them, and the competition has always been healthy. I also play on a team that loves competition. Each department wants to do better in every game, and that was what I leveraged as well in the last 10 matches,” Obasogie added.

In the last two seasons, Obasogie has been a formidable figure between the sticks for Bendel Insurance, showcasing his shot-stopping skills and contributing significantly to his team’s defensive stability.

Last season, he was instrumental in Insurance’s unprecedented 21-game unbeaten run in the league when he also kept eight clean sheets in the regular season.

His brilliance in saving penalties also helped the team win their first major title in 43 years, the 2023 Federation Cup, courtesy of a 1-0 win over Enugu Rangers in the final.

Source Punch Ng

Posted June 26, 2024