Bendel Insurance head coach Greg Ikhenoba is confident his new-look side will improve on their performances after poor start to the season.
The Benin Arsenal began the 2025/26 Nigerian Premier Football League season with a disappointing 2-0 defeat away at El Kanemi Warriors.
Their winless start continued on Saturday in front of their home fans, after they secured a 1-1 draw against Shooting Stars.
A fifth-placed finish in the previous campaign had led to high hopes going into the new season and Ikhenoba believes his side will bounce back to form quickly.
“Every coach has his or her philosophy and game plans but sometimes it doesn’t go as planned and that doesn’t mean the team is bad”, Ikhenoba stated.
“We created a lot of scoring chances that our strikers missed. Our strikers were in a hurry to score and ended up throwing away the chances. We will continue to work on the areas we have issues and I am confident we will get it fixed and goals will start coming.”
Ayodele Ismail put Shooting Stars in the lead in the fifth minute on Saturday, sending the home fans into shock.
However, Alex Oweilayefa equalized for the hosts eight minutes later, heading into the net from close range.
“Yes,two matches are gone, we have only one point and one goal out of supposedly six points but that is not enough to right my team off”, he continued.
“ One point out of six in the first two matches is not the end of the league and will not translate to how we end the league. The league is very fresh,I am confident we will get the job done.”
Bendel Insurance are back in action in the NPFL on Sunday, when they travel to face newly-promoted Barau FC.
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
