A very slow start to the day’s activities from the players ensured that the ‘Flying Antelopes’, Rangers International F.C left Enyimba Stadium, Aba, without a point as host, Enyimba International F.C ran away with a 2-1 win in a rescheduled matchday 20, NPFL 2020/21 fixture, on a wet, rainy, Thursday.
The backline of the Enugu landlords was guilty of slack marking and wrong passes in the opening minutes of the game which the host exploited to the fullest with Super Eagles wing-wizard, Anayo Iwuala, leading the onslaught.
A quick restart from a dead ball situation by the host caught the visitors’ backline flat-footed as the pint-sized, Iwuala, found an unmarked Victor Mbaoma inside the vital area with an inch-perfect pass to tuck past an exposed, Seidu Mutawakilu in goal for Rangers on 4 minutes.
To their credit, the coach Salisu Yusuf’ wards dusted themselves up and took the fight to the half of the coach Fatai Osho’ wards, and in one of his massy dribbling runs, Ibrahim Olawoyin was hacked down on the edge of the box and the resultant free-kick was expertly delivered by Tope Olusesi into the Enyimba’ box and Israel Abia reacted the quickest to slam home after John Noble spilled the ball on 6 minutes for the equalizer.
In 32 minutes, Cyril Olisema drilled in what turned out to be the winning goal from the edge of the box after he was allowed enough space by the Rangers players even as the Ghanaian shot-stopper would have done better with his judgment of the flight of the ball.
Quality goalkeeping from the lanky, Mutawakilu, ensured that the host could not record more goals with three clinical saves in the last quarter of the match as the host pressed for more while what would have been an early second-half equalizer by Uche John on 50 minutes missed target by a few inches as he connected a Tope Olusesi’ free-kick with his head.
Coach Mbwas Mangut said after the encounter, “It was a sad loss today for us because we did not start the game with the right attitude and got punished early but also to the players’ credit, equalized early. However, slow reactions in the midfield, let us down again towards the tail end of the first half and got punished to give Enyimba the three points which I think they deserved.”
Rangers now drop to the 7th spot on the log with 41 points from 27 matches and will be trading tackles with Dakkada F.C on Sunday, June 20, 2021, in a matchday 28 fixture inside the ‘Nest of Champions’, Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo.
