By Abu Hassan
Ranchers Bees, on Sunday, secured a vital 1-0 victory over former champions Enyimba in their Matchday 12 encounter of the 2026/27 Euromatch Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season at the Bako Kontagora Stadium, Minna.
The closely contested encounter was decided in the 42nd minute when Chiedozie Jude Okorie struck from long range, catching Enyimba goalkeeper Dede Dare unaware to give Ranchers Bees the decisive advantage.
Despite concerted efforts by the visitors to restore parity, Enyimba failed to find the back of the net, even after their technical crew introduced fresh legs in an attempt to change the course of the encounter.
The victory represents a significant boost for Ranchers Bees, who are working hard to improve their position on the league table, having earlier secured an away draw before returning home to claim their first home victory in their Minna adopted home.
Reacting after the encounter, Ranchers Bees head coach, Majin Mohammed, described the result as very important, commending his players for their determination, particularly as many of them were making their first appearance on the newly renovated Bako Kontagora Stadium.
Majin acknowledged the tight position of the team on the league table but expressed satisfaction with the players’ response, saying the successive results of an away draw and a home victory would provide a foundation for improved performances in subsequent matches.
He expressed confidence that Ranchers Bees would overcome their current challenges and retain their NPFL status at the end of the season.
Assessing the opposition, Majin described Enyimba as a formidable side with an impressive pedigree but observed that the league had improved considerably, with results now determined more by performance than reputation and historical achievements.
On his part, Enyimba head coach, Emmanuel Deutsch, described the encounter as a good but difficult contest, insisting that his side created enough opportunities to win but failed to convert them.
Deutsch argued that Enyimba could have scored as many as three goals in the first half but were unable to utilise their chances, while Ranchers Bees capitalised on one of their opportunities to secure the victory.
He dismissed suggestions that the Aba-based club were struggling, expressing confidence that the team would recover from the setback and work towards stabilizing their performance in subsequent fixtures.
The Enyimba handler also commended the standard of officiating, describing it as very good and expressing satisfaction with the conduct of the match officials.
The result gives Ranchers Bees three important points as they continue their campaign to secure a more comfortable position on the NPFL table, while Enyimba will seek to bounce back in their subsequent league engagements.