Rangers spank hosts Defence Force in Ethiopia to progress in CAF Confederation Cup

Rangers International Football Club of Enugu on Wednesday in Addis Ababa defeated hosts Defence Force S.C. of Ethiopia 3-1 to advance 5-1 aggregate in the 2018/2019 CAF Confederation Cup competition.
In the second leg match of the competition’s preliminary round, the Nigerian Cup champions made it a double over the East Africans after a 2-0 win about a week earlier.
The hosts drew the first blood though, with Dibaba Wendimu beating Rangers’ goalkeeper Nana Bonsu from the penalty kick spot in the third minute of play after a handball infringement.
They continued to put the visitors on the backfoot in search of more goals, with their vociferous fans cheering them on.
The duo of Akpos Adubi and Semiu Liadi however held out on the day.
As the match wore on, Rangers gradually settled into the game and pushed back the hosts, but they were unlucky not to draw level until the 36^th minute.
That was when Bright Silas slammed home an inviting cross from Isaac Loute.
They took the lead in the 40th minute when Godwin Aguda dusted himself, after he was upended in the box, to score from the penalty kick spot for Rangers.
Ajani Ibrahim came close to extending the lead with only a few seconds to end the first half, but Beyene Yidnekachew did enough to push the ball to safety.
On resumption of the second half, the hosts started the way they did in the first half with midfielders Fikadu Gadissa, Firew Ayele and Dawit Asfaw pulling the strings.
Kelvin Itoya was thrown into the fray with only 20 minutes left on the clock, and his combination with Ibrahim and Silas soon produced a devastating effect.
His cheeky shot inside the opponents’ penalty area sailed unhindered into the net for Rangers’ third goal of the day in the 79th minute.
Rangers’ coach, Olugbenga Ogunbote, while speaking at the post-match conference, said experience was vital to their success.
Ogunbote said: “First of all, we thank God for the victory against a good side that loves to keep the ball but failed to do the needful when it mattered.
“Experience gave us the edge, knowing that we came here with a two-goal lead and conceding very early gave us cause for some concern.
“But we gradually came into the match and got the result we needed.
“Defence Force are not a bad side. But we did well to take most of our chances, while they did not.
“Looking ahead, we hope to make corrections in the areas noticed before our next match.”
Captain of the Nigerian side, Okey Odita, on his part agreed with his coach.
Odita said: “It was a good game and we thank God for the victory. We played against a good side but we showed experience that took us above them.”
With this result, Rangers have qualified for the first round of the competition.