Rangers International Football Club of Enugu on Sunday defeated visiting Wikki Tourists of Bauchi 2-1 in a Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) Match Day 32 fixture.
Godspower Aniefiok put Rangers in front in the second minute of the match played at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, before Ugochukwu Ugwuoke extended the lead in the 19th minute.
Nalifu Yahaya scored for the visitors in 40th minute to give them hopes of a comeback, which never came as Rangers stoutly held on till the end.
Wikki Tourists’ coach, Abdullahi Adamu, later said his team played well but met a good team in Rangers.
“We are going home to work more on our game, more especially our finishing, to ensure we get it right in subsequent matches.
“Our strikers did not play the way I expected them to, and we will return home to work more on them.
“But I did tell my players (at half time) that they gave the home team two cheap goals, and that was why they adjusted after the interval,” he said.
Adamu however assured the club’s supporters that the team would win against Abia Warriors in their Match Day 33 fixture on July 18.
Amobi Ezeaku, Rangers’ Team Manager, expressed confidence in Rangers finishing the league in a respectable position.
Ezeaku said even though the league table looked tight right now, he believed his team still stood a chance of claiming a continental spot.
“This is a big win for us and we are going to keep fighting to ensure we finish the league well.
“Winning against Wikki Tourists, a strong side, makes the result an important one and wonderful.
“I am glad that we garnered the three points at the end of the game and hope the good results continue to pour in,” he said.
Ezeaku added that football fans had expected a harvest of goals considering the time the Flying Antelopes scored their two goals.
“Football is not always straight forward like that, and that was why we scored the two goals.
“We came out after the interval for more goals, but that could not materialise,” the club official said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Rangers still occupy the seventh spot on the league with 52 points after 32 matches while Wikki Tourists are in 15th place.(NAN)