Celtiis Benin Ligue 1: first takeaways ahead of matchday two

The 2026-2027 Celtiis Benin Ligue 1 officially got underway on September 26 and 27 with an opening matchday full of goals and takeaways. Several teams began their season with a victory, while defending champions Sobemap were held to a draw. Attention now turns to the second matchday, scheduled for Saturday, October 3 and Sunday, October 4.

Buffles and Loto-Popo make successful starts

Buffles FC du Borgou made an impression in their opening game of the competition. With an ambitious recruitment drive and high expectations, the club defeated Ayéma FC 3-1. The victory puts them second in the standings, behind Hodio FC. Meanwhile, Loto-Popo secured a valuable win against Dynamo FC d’Abomey (2-1). Both teams scored from the penalty spot before Shehu Olawale Tidjani made the difference with a free kick in the closing minutes.

Defending champions Sobemap Sport had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Bani Gansè FC in Banikoara. The visitors took the lead through Gratien Houndo before Moussa Corso Traoré equalised for the hosts. ASPAC, for their part, began with an away victory. Travelling to Savalou, the port club defeated Espoir FC by the narrowest of margins (1-0), thanks to Moussa Maye Yarou, who scored the first goal of the new season in the 23rd minute.

Key figures from the opening matchday

The opening round also produced several statistical highlights:

• 19 goals were scored in nine matches, an average of 2.1 goals per game.
• Buffles FC–Ayéma FC was the highest-scoring match, with four goals.
• Moussa Maye Yarou scored the first goal of the season, in the 23rd minute against Espoir FC.
• The fastest goal came in the 10th minute, an own goal by Nii Marmah Mesharck, an Ayéma FC player, in favour of Buffles.
• Abdoul Malick Bio Djibril of Djeffa FC was the top scorer of the opening matchday with two goals against Panthères FC, in the 63rd and 74th minutes.
• Four goals were scored from penalties.
• Roufai Sohbour of Dragons FC received the first yellow card of the season in the 19th minute.
• No red cards were shown during the nine matches.

The standings after the opening matchday

Hodio FC sit top with three points and a goal difference of +3. Buffles follow with a +2 goal difference, ahead of Loto-Popo, Djeffa, ASVO and ASPAC, who also have three points.

1. Hodio FC 3
2. Buffles FC 3
3. Loto-Popo FC 3
4. Djeffa FC 3
5. ASVO FC 3
6. ASPAC FC 3
7. Bani Gansè FC 1
8. Sobemap FC 1
9. Dragons FC 1
10. Coton FC 1
11. Damissa FC 1
12. Cavaliers FC 1
13. Dynamo d’Abomey FC 0
14. Panthères FC 0
15. USS Krakè 0
16. Espoir Savalou FC 0
17. Ayéma FC 0
18. AS Cotonou FC 0

The matchday two schedule

The second matchday will be played on Saturday, October 3 and Sunday, October 4, with nine matches scheduled to kick off from 4 p.m. The meeting between Loto-Popo and Buffles is attracting particular attention, while Sobemap will look to claim their first win against Hodio FC.

The season is only just beginning, but this second round will already offer several interesting fixtures to assess the teams’ momentum in the 2026-2027 Celtiis Benin Ligue 1.

Aliou Toundé |

Editorfr

Related teams and leagues

Benin

AS Cotonou

AS Sobemap

ASPAC

ASVO

Ayema

Bani Gansè

Buffles

Cavaliers

Coton FC

Damissa

Djeffa

Espoir Savalou

Hodio

Kraké

Loto Popo

USSK

Championnat National

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