Rangers International Football Club of Enugu on Sunday thrashed visiting Remo Stars FC of Sagamu 5-2 in a Match Day 12 fixture of the ongoing 2018/2019 Nigeria Professional Football League.
The victory in the match played at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium in Enugu moved Rangers to the third position in the league’s Group A, with 15 points from six matches.
Remo Stars opened scoring in the match’s seventh minute when Bright Akpojuwewo scored from a corner kick.
Ifeanyi George drew the home team level in the 34th minute, before Godwin Aguda put Rangers in front in the 44th minute from the penalty kick spot after a handball infringement.
Aguda made it 3-1 for Rangers in the 49th minute after a defensive blunder, while Ajani Ibrahim increased the tally to 4-1 in the 61st minute.
Chidera Ezeh gave Remo Stars a lifeline to come back in to the game when he nodded tinto his own net in the 83rd minute.
But Michael Uchebo dribbled past two defenders to shoot into the right hand corner of the post to make it 5-2 minutes later to erase hopes of a comeback.
Speaking with newsmen after the match, Rangers’ coach Olugbenga Ogunbote said he was excited with the result and that their determination to win the match was what saw them through.
He said: “Even when we conceded a goal early in the match, we never thought of losing because we always believed in 90 minutes of action.
“The visitors’ early goal brought out the best in us and, knowing fully what it means to win at home, we just had to go for it.
“However, Rangers cannot slip up at home because that is where we need to make up points and we want to utilise our chances at home.
“We are growing in scoring and today we scored six goals as we put five past the visitors and one into our net.”
The coach however pointed out that the scoreline showed that they have started getting the needed goals.
He said: “I wish it continues this way, even at away matches, because winning a match is all about scoring.’’
Ogunbote was optimistic that the current level of officiating in the league would be sustained for his team to get positive results from their away matches.
He said: “We know that we are going to prosecute about three away matches from today (Sunday) and that is where we will begin to know our stand in the league.”
Meanwhile, all efforts to get the visiting club officials to talk to the media proved abortive as they refused to honour the mandatory post-match briefing.
