By NORBERT OKOLIE, Media/Communication Officer Rangers International F.C, Enugu.
After gifting eternal rivals, Rivers United F.C all three points in the league opening fixture, mid-week in Port-Harcourt, seven-time league champions, Rangers International F.C has set its eyes on annexing the maximum points when Akwa United come visiting for a matchday 2 fixture.
With the unsavory 1-2 loss at ‘The Cathedral’ on February 16, 2020, still fresh in the memory of most of the dramatic persona that featured in that encounter, the football-loving fans won’t be starved of quality football as coach Salisu Yusuf unleash his title hungry wards on the invading ‘Promise Keepers’ led by coach Kennedy Boboye.
On matchday one, Akwa United shared the spoils with neighbors, Dakkada F.C inside the magnificent, Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo while a 28th-minute strike from Fortune Omoniwari off a defensive lapse ensured Rangers left the Adokiye Amiesiamaka stadium, Omagba, Port-Harcourt, with its tail between its legs.
Vastly experienced gaffer of the ‘Flying Antelopes’, Salisu Yusuf, will most likely feature the matchday one squad that fell in Port-Harcourt for the ‘Redemption Song’ that will be singing at ‘The Cathedral’, Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu while his opponent is not expected to change much of the personnel that helped him to his first
point of the season.
Going down memory lane, encounters between these two football giants have always been tough and any team that ends up the winner must have done so through the skin of its teeth.
The ‘Flying Antelopes’ still enjoys the bragging right over the visiting side in the twenty-one encounters they have played with eight wins while Akwa United had five with eight matches ending in draws just as the ‘Coal City’ have scored 26 times as against 20 scored by the Boboye boys.
Midfield maestro and dribbling whiz-kid, Ibrahim Olawoyin said going into the match, “We know this is our very first game of the season at home in Enugu, so we just have to give all our best to win the game and secure our first three points of the season. It’s going to be an assured three points. We are not under any pressure to perform going by what happened last season here. It is in the past now and we hope to go all out for victory from the blast of the referee’s whistle to
wrap up the match as early as possible.”
Chinonso Eziekwe, who had his effort chopped off by the assistant referee in the game against Rivers United, and twin striker, Abia Israel who failed to beat Afelokhai on the near post are both fired up to find their ranges if given to nod to start.
Coach Salisu Yusuf while profiling the match, said, “Our target is just to win and get the three points, have some goals and we believe that the group is in the right frame of mind to do that. We are going to work very hard as there is no easier games in the league. By the grace of God, we shall work hard and beat them. We are not under any pressure even with last season’s result still fresh in our memory as we had that game under control but what happened and we lost the game.
This time, it’s going to be a different game as we plan to work hard on the pitch and win our game.”
Just as the visitors boast of three former Rangers players, Etim Mathew, Akpan Bassey, and Saddick Abass on their payroll, enterprising midfielder, Godspower Aniefiok, who shorn like a million star for the Uyo side before crossing over the Rangers, will be on top of his game to help annex all three points.
Another talking point for this encounter will be the tussle between last season’s top two strikers, Ndifreke Effiong, who had eleven goals to his credit, and Israel Abia who was the top scorer last season with twelve goals as they start the battle for who is a better marksman.
The result of the last eight meetings of both sides read thus;
16/2/2020 = Rangers 1-2 Akwa United
9/2/2020 = Akwa United 0-0 Rangers
8/9/2019 = Akwa United 3-3 Rangers
13/5/2018 = Rangers 0-0 Akwa United
14/1/2018 = Akwa United 2-0 Rangers
11/6/2017 = Rangers 1-0 Akwa United
25/1/2017 = Akwa United 0-0 Rangers
16/7/2016 = Akwa United 2-3 Rangers
