Rangers International FC of Enugu on Wednesday held Rivers United FC of Port Harcourt to a goalless draw in Week 20 of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL).
The tense encounter at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium in Enugu, Enugu State saw Rivers United dominate early exchanges.
This forced Rangers into repeated clearances inside their defensive half.
Rangers grew into the match midway through the first half, pushing United backwards, but the visitors’ defence stayed alert and well organised.
The defending champions maintained control and continued to trouble the Flying Antelopes until the end of the opening 45 minutes.
After the restart, Rangers pressed aggressively and searched for a breakthrough, but poor finishing denied them a deserved goal.
The contest turned end-to-end in the closing minutes as Rangers piled pressure on their visitors in search of a late winner.
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Rivers United’s backline, however, stood firm to secure a hard-earned scoreless draw against the Enugu side.
Rangers’ stand-in coach, Kene Ekenedilichukwu, said football outcomes were unpredictable.
Ekenedilichukwu said: “This is football.
“Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.
“Things can go the other way round.
“That is football.”
Rivers United Coach, Finidi George, described the match as a positive outing for his team.
“For us it was a good game, especially in the first half,” he said.
Finidi said tactical changes helped his side recover later.
“In the second half they had more possession, but after our changes we came back strong,” he said.
The draw leaves Rangers on 30 points after 20 matches, while Rivers United remain top of the table with 38 points.
