Bendel Insurance head coach Jolomi Ali believes his side deserved more from their 1-0 defeat to Nasarawa United in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Matchday 2 clash in Lafia.
The Benin Arsenals suffered their first defeat of the 2026/27 NPFL season after Sam Pam scored the only goal of the game in the second half.
Despite the result, Ali felt the performance did not reflect the outcome and described the defeat as an unlucky one for his team.
The match at the Lafia Township Stadium remained goalless at half-time, with both sides struggling to find a breakthrough.
Nasarawa United eventually broke the deadlock in the 55th minute when Sam Pam found the back of the net.
The goal proved decisive as Nasarawa United held on to claim their first points of the new NPFL campaign. The official league results confirm the hosts’ 1-0 victory over Bendel Insurance.
Bendel Insurance were unable to find an equaliser despite their efforts, leaving the Benin-based side empty-handed from their first away trip of the season.
Speaking after the match, Bendel Insurance coach Jolomi Ali expressed his disappointment with the result.
The coach believed his players had done enough to get something from the encounter and felt the narrow defeat was harsh on his team.
For Ali, the performance offered encouragement despite the lack of points. The Bendel Arsenals had started the campaign with a 2-1 victory over Warri Wolves and were looking to build on that result.
Instead, they left Lafia with nothing to show for their efforts.
The defeat leaves Bendel Insurance with three points from their opening two matches.
They began the season strongly at home, defeating Warri Wolves 2-1 at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium before losing narrowly to Nasarawa United.
Nasarawa United, meanwhile, bounced back from their opening-day defeat to Barau FC with a valuable home victory.
The result also gives Nasarawa United their first three points of the campaign and provides an early boost for technical adviser Mbwas Mangut as his side prepares for the next round of fixtures.
Bendel Insurance will now turn their attention to Matchday 3, when they return to Benin City to face Kun Khalifat.
The fixture is scheduled for September 13 at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, giving Ali’s side an opportunity to respond immediately to their first defeat of the season.
The Benin Arsenals will be hoping to turn their strong home form into another three points and move back up the early NPFL standings.
With the season still in its opening stages, Ali will want his players to take the positives from the performance in Lafia while ensuring that narrow defeats do not become a pattern.
