Shooting Stars Sports Club of Ibadan (3SC) have ended the nine-game unbeaten run of Bendel Insurance following a 1-0 win in their Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) match decided on Sunday, www.aclsports.com reports.
Fresh from a defeat to Bayelsa United in their last league outing, the Ibadan side were eager to bounce back with a second successive home win of 2026, having earlier swept aside Enyimba 3-0 on Matchday 20. In contrast, Kennedy Boboye’s Insurance arrived in Ibadan on a long unbeaten run, having not lost in the league since November 2025, when they fell to Plateau United.
Backed by a good number of supporters at the Lekan Salami Stadium, 3SC should have taken the lead in the opening five minutes of the game when Sodiq Ibrahim fired over from inside the box before star midfielder Ayobami Junior also followed suit moments later. At the other end, Insurance nearly went in front after some poor defending in the 3SC box, but goalkeeper Mustapha Lawal made a great stop to deny Emmanuel Akpan.
It was in the second half that the Oluyole Warriors raised their game as they went in search of the game’s opening goal. At the hour mark, Nurudeen Aweroro sent Qamar Adegoke and Tunde Azeez on for the duo of Alex Aghahowa and Emmanuel Lucky, and that changed the context of the game for the home side.
Moments after coming on, Adegoke saw two of his efforts blocked by defenders, but he was not to be denied in the final 20 minutes of the game. The former Nasarawa United forward was on hand at the back post to finish off Ikouwem Utin’s corner, which was deflected into his path.
Lawal made another brilliant stop in the final embers of the match to preserve Shooting Stars’ lead. In the end, the home side claimed all three points to inflict a first defeat in 10 NPFL matches on Insurance. 3SC moved up to sixth with the win, while Insurance dropped to eighth on the log.
In some of the other matches decided on Sunday, Nasarawa United defeated Abia Warriors 2-1 in Umuahia to move up to second on the log. The solid miners, thanks to goals from Habibu Alakija and JoFrank Istifanus, came from behind to beat the home side after Emeka Obioma had given them the lead.
It was all home wins for Rangers, Niger Tornadoes, Elkanemi Warriors, and Wikki Tourists against Warri Wolves, Enyimba, Ikorodu City, and Kano Pillars, respectively.
Match day 23 of the 2025/26 NPFL season will be played on Wednesday and Thursday, but the scheduled game between Rivers United and Elkanemi has been postponed due to the latter’s involvement on the continent.
