Bendel Insurance and Bayelsa Queens are the winners of the 2023 Federation Cup as they shared the sum of 25 million naira prize money.
Bendel Insurance broke their 43-year wait for a major title by beating Enugu Ranges 1-0 on Wednesday to win the 2023 Federation Cup.
After the thrilling encounter at the Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba, Bendel Insurance took home the 2023 Federation Cup trophy and 15 million naira prize money.
Osarenkhoe Imade’s first-half penalty kick gave Bendel Insurance, also known as Benin Arsenal, their fourth Federation Cup title, and earned them the last continental ticket to the CAF Confederation Cup for the coming season.
Both Insurance and Rangers are two of the traditional teams in Nigerian football and they have met three times in the Federation Cup final between 1978 and 1981. In those three meetings, Insurance won twice while Rangers won once.
The 2023 Federation Cup final marked the third time the Benin Arsenal had defeated Rangers in the tournament’s final.
Imade scored the lone goal of the final from the penalty spot in stoppage time of the first 45 minutes after a handball in the Rangers’ penalty box. The goal was Imade’s 10th goal in all competitions in the 2022-2023 season.
During the game, Enugu Rangers’ Igwueze Chinemere was shown the red card after receiving a second caution for the handball that led to the penalty.
Monday Odigie’s team maintained their composure against the 10-man Rangers side in the second half to ultimately cap a remarkable season with a trophy and a CAF Confederation Cup spot after disappointingly missing out on the available continental tickets in the recently concluded Nigeria Professional Football League season.
Bendel Insurance players celebrate after winning the 2023 Federation Cup final in Asaba, Delta State.
On the other hand, Bayelsa Queens won the women’s 2023 Federation Cup by defeating Rivers Angels 4-2 on penalties before the final of the men’s edition kicked in.
The win marked the second time in the history of Bayelsa Queens that they won the national tournament as they walked away with the N10 million first-place prize money.
During the shootout, Bayelsa Queens scored all their four attempts while Rivers Angels missed two of their four attempts.
