Bayelsa United Fight Back to Tame the Desert Warriors and Climb to 9th on the NPFL Table
Bayelsa United extended their unbeaten run and solidified their home form with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over El Kanemi Warriors in a lively NPFL Matchday 35 encounter at the Samson Siasia Stadium.
The Prosperity Boys started brightly and almost took an early lead when Ifeanyi Ogba rattled the woodwork in the 12th minute. However, they were punished shortly after when El Kanemi Warriors earned a penalty following a rare attack, which was calmly converted in the 14th minute to put the visitors ahead.
Bayelsa United responded almost immediately by increasing the tempo. Their persistence paid off when Jawad Mustapha restored parity from the penalty spot just four minutes later, sending the home fans into raptures.
The first half ended on a sour note for Bayelsa as influential forward Ifeanyi Ogba hobbled off with an injury after a bad tackle and was replaced by Emo James.
The second half saw a dip in intensity compared to the lively first period. Nevertheless, Bayelsa United looked more ambitious, while El Kanemi Warriors appeared content to waste time at every opportunity.
Bayelsa continued to press, and Emo James came agonizingly close to giving them the lead when he crashed a header against the crossbar from a pinpoint Hassan cross. El Kanemiโs goalkeeper was called into action several times, pulling off crucial saves to deny Wisdom and Malik, but his best moment came when he produced a stunning stop to keep out Saroโs effort.
Despite the heroics in goal, El Kanemi Warriors eventually succumbed in the 89th minute. Substitute Nneoyi Eyong pounced inside the box following a goalmouth scramble to fire home the winner, sending the home fans into wild celebrations. The victory eased Bayelsa Unitedโs relegation fears and lifted them to 9th on the NPFL table.
Tempers flared at the final whistle as players and officials of El Kanemi Warriors confronted the match officials in an unprofessional manner, but the situation was quickly brought under control as the officials were ushered off the pitch.
Speaking after the match, Bayelsa United head coach Ladan Bosso expressed confidence ahead of their next game against Ikorodu City. He also remained hopeful that Ifeanyi Ogba would recover in time to feature.
