By Ahmad Elnafaty
Heartland FC were defensively naive during their Matchday17 fixture against Bendel Insurance and a repeat of such display once again led to the same outcome at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo where they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Akwa United.
The hosts’ opened the scoring in the 32nd minute with Endurance Ebedebiri, coolly converted from the penalty spot after Ebuka Nwokoecha had brought down Kabir Osoba inside the box.
Refusing to rest on their laurels after their merited opener, Akwa United continued to find extreme joy both playing through the disjointed Heartland midfield and over the top of the visitors’ backline, although the Promise Keepers were their own worst enemies when it came to finishing their chances.
At the other end of the field, the Naze Millionaires showed a bit more attacking verve at the start of the second half, but their evening went from bad to worse in the 68th minute as Chijioke Alaekwe doubled the lead with a sumptuous header from David Phillip’s cross from a corner to make it 2-0.
Heartland’s effort to pick the Promise Keepers’ lock were remarkably futile as Darlingtin Ovunda did not have a single save to make in the second half, thanks partly to the Promise Keepers’ sturdy defensive structure and the Naze Millionaires’ total lack of an incisive final ball.
The result means Heartland FC remain 13th in the NPFL table, above Sunshine Stars on goal difference, while Akwa United are 17th in relegation position on the table having accumulated 19 points from 18 matches this season.
The Promise Keepers’ focus will remain on maintaining their push for a place out of the bottom-four, with their next away game a particularly difficult clash against league leaders Remo Stars on Sunday.
Meanwhile, a defeat for Heartland means they remain without a win in their last three matches, a streak they will look to break when they take on Lobi Stars on their final league game in 2025.