The ‘Flying Antelopes’, Rangers International F.C, still maintains its hold on the top spot of the twenty teams NPFL 2023/2024 season after earning a 0-0 draw against Sporting Lagos F.C in a match day 34 encounter played at Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos on Sunday, June 2, 2024.
Coach Fidelis Ilechukwu lined up the team that defeated Bayelsa United on the last match day but the duo of Godwin Obaje and Super Eagle invitee, Kenneth Igboke with Zulkifilu Mohammad and Philip Clement taking their places and the visitors never looked back in their push to earn another win on the road.
Goalkeeper, Christian Nwoke was alive to his duties for the host as he did well to push out a long-range effort from Kazeem Ogunleye on 28 minutes just after Philip Clement’ goal-bound shot deflected off a Sporting defender on 13 minutes. The host also saw an opportunity go begging on 21 minutes as the Rangers backline failed to clear their line.
Towards the end of the first stanza, Okorie Chiedozie was set up by Ugwueze Chinemerem after dribbling his way past three markers but the attacker’s curly shot missed the target by a few inches.
Isaac Saviour who shorn like a million stars in the encounter found a way to release a canon of a shot that beat the goalkeeper but crashed against the crossbar and out of the pitch as the home side heaved a sigh of relief. At the same time, the traveling fans and bench mourned the miss at 72 minutes just as the home side’s defender cleared another effort from his boots at 78 minutes.
Coach Ilechukwu after the encounter thanked the soccer-loving fans of Lagos and his players for playing to instruction stressing, “I must first thank the fans of Lagos who came out in their numbers to support good football. My players also displayed a good understanding of what we came to Lagos to do. But for the agility of the Sporting goalkeeper, we could have been talking of a better result. We are going back to Enugu to strategize for our next game which is against Enyimba and we expect to be at our best to get the result we desire.”
With the result, Rangers maintain its stay at the top of the twenty team log with 61 points from 34 matches with Enyimba and Remo Stars following closely in 2nd and 3rd positions with 59 points from the same number of matches.
Rangers will next play host to Oriental rivals, Enyimba International F.C. at Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu, on June 9, 2024.
CREDIT: NORBERT OKOLIE M/O