Substitute Godwin Odibo scored after 81 minutes on Saturday to give Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) Football Club of Ibadan a 1-0 win over Bendel Insurance FC of Benin.
Victory in the 2024/2025 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Match Day 23 fixture at the Lekan Stadium helped the Oluyole Warriors to consolidate their hold on second place on the table.
They are now with 40 points from 22 matches, after 12 wins and four draws, and eight points behind league leaders Remo Stars FC of Ikenne who also won 2-1.
The league leaders who have played one game more than 3SC defeated visiting Kano Pillars and look to be heading towards their first-ever national title.
In the match in Ibadan, it was an end-to-end affair in the opening minutes with the visitors holding their own through crisp passes to push back their hosts.
But 3SC had more of the ball with good runs into the flanks for few scary moments which were not translated into goal as a result of poor finishing.
They played with more intensity in the first half’s last 20 minutes, but a string of errors made them not to find the necessary rhythm to overwhelm their battling guests.
Bendel Insurance returned for the second half refusing to yield ground in spite of intense pressure and, with the hosts’ poor finishing a major undoing, relief only came through Odibo.
He latched on to a cleared ball to blast a low shot into the net from the right side of Bendel Insurance’s penalty area during a sustained offensive.
3SC are safely secured in the second spot with this win, holding a five-point advantage over nearest rivals Rivers United.
The Port Harcourt side are in third place with 35 points and host Lobi Stars of Makurdi on Sunday.
In other Match Day 23 fixtures played on Saturday, El-Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri beat Nasarawa United of Lafia 1-0 to stay in fourth place.
Katsina United FC had on Friday beaten Heartland FC of Owerri in another one of the weekend’s fixtures.
On Sunday, fifth-placed Rangers International of Enugu visit Bayelsa United in Yenagoa while sixth-placed Abia Warriors host Sunshine Stars of Akure in Umuahia.
Niger Tornadoes will host Plateau United of Jos in Minna, while Akwa United host Enyimba International of Aba in Uyo and Ikorodu City FC host Kwara United of Ilorin in Lagos.
