NPFL: Shooting Stars strike twice after 84 minutes against Bendel

Shooting Stars scored twice in the last six minutes of normal time and stoppage time to beat second-placed Bendel Insurance 2-1 at the Lekan Salami Stadium on Friday night a result that changes the picture behind leaders Enugu Rangers.

The Matchday 13 opener in Ibadan looked set for a goalless draw until Olakunle Akala broke the deadlock in the 84th minute. Qamar Adegoke doubled the lead two minutes into stoppage time, and Alex Oweilayefa pulled one back for Bendel Insurance with the final kick of the game.

The win lifts the Oluyole Warriors to seventh on 18 points from 13 games. Bendel Insurance stay second on 21 points, also from 13 games, three behind leaders Rangers, who have two games in hand on them before visiting Niger Tornadoes on Sunday.

Late goals change the shape of the night

For 84 minutes this had the look of a visiting side's point. Bendel Insurance arrived in Ibadan second in the table and kept the hosts out until Akala found the breakthrough.

Adegoke's goal in stoppage time settled it, and Oweilayefa's reply came too late to matter. Our preview of the game had framed it as a test of Bendel Insurance on the road, and the hosts passed their own test only at the very end.

Analysis: Bendel's chase now depends on others

Before Friday, Bendel Insurance were three points behind Rangers having played one game more. The gap is still three, but they have now played two more than the leaders.

That matters because Rangers' games in hand are real points waiting to be collected. If the Flying Antelopes win in Kontagora on Sunday, the gap to Bendel Insurance becomes six, with Rangers still holding a game in hand.

For Shooting Stars, 18 points from 13 games leaves them three points off second place. Two goals in the final minutes against the second-placed side is the kind of result that can turn a mid-table season into a push for the places just below the leaders.

Bendel Insurance host Doma United in Benin on Matchday 14, while Shooting Stars travel to Awka to face Rangers on 22 November.