By Nobert Okolie M/O

The ‘Flying Antelopes’, Rangers International F.C took visiting Bayelsa United F.C of Yenagoa to the cleaners with an emphatic 3-0 bashing in a match day 33, NPFL 2023/2024 encounter which happened before an appreciable number of fans inside Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu, Sunday, May 26, 2024.

The wards of Fidelis Ilechukwu never allowed the visiting side handled by coach Meremu Okara to settle down into their game as the attacking duo of Okorie Chiedozie and Godwin Obaje got a lot of supplies from the midfield quartet lined up by coach Ilechukwu.

Despite dominating play, the Enugu side met stiff resistance from the backline of the Yenagoa-based side with goalkeeper, Elkanah Godgift making some brilliant saves to deny the home side some goals-scoring opportunities.

With the first half looking to end without a goal, Godwin Obaje tapped in the opener on 41 minutes off an Okorie Chiedozie assist after receiving a defense-splitting pass from Isaac Saviour and outrunning two defenders to provide an inch-perfect cross for the former league top scorer to score his 10th goal of the season and send the fans into wild jubilations.

In the second stanza, two quick goals on 66 and 68 minutes of play through Godwin Obaje and Okorie Chiedozie ensured that it was a complete demolition job and any hope of a fight-back from the visitors was extinguished.

Isaac Saviour was again the architect of the second goal as his telegraphic cross-field pass found Obaje on the center-cycle arc. He did well to power his way through some tackles to bury beyond Godgift for his 11th of the season while substitute, Chidiebere Nwobodo provided the assist that Okorie finished to the delight of the home fans and supporters that had music icon, Flavor, Ijele 1 of Africa in the VVIP stand.

With the victory, the coach Fidelis Ilechukwu tutored side maintained its top position with sixty points from 33 matches having won 18, drawn 6, and lost nine, scoring 49 goals and leaking 31 while defending champions, Enyimba are close in second spot with 56 points from the same number of matches.

Rangers coach, Fidelis Ilechukwu at the post-match chat with members of the media, said, “It was a good game with a good result from my boys. It would have been more embarrassing for our opponent had we been able to convert begging chances but we keep working till the end of the season to ensure we realize our set target. Bayelsa United was challenging, but we came prepared for all of their antics and thanked God for His grace as we won by a good margin. We shall approach our next set of matches like cup finals as the season is getting tougher by every week.”

Rangers’ next opponent will be Sporting Lagos at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos on June 2, 2024.