The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Enugu Rangers

  • GHANA’S President Cup: Enugu Rangers, Ismaily on parade

    Nigerian club-side, Enugu Rangers and their Egyptian counterparts, Ismaily will play in this year’s President Cup, the Ghana League Clubs Association has confirmed.

    The Nigerian and Egyptian clubs have reached a deal to participate in the cup match.

    The two foreign clubs will be joined by two local clubs that will be selected through a public voting system by texts.

    Already, giants Asante Kotoko have ruled themselves out after accusing the organizers, GHALCA, of showing no support when they were banned by the Ghana FA for crowd violence.

    This will be the first time the President Cup, usually played to commemorate Ghana’s Republic Day in July, will be played in a round-robin format.

  • Rangers rule Gero out of Sfax battle

    Rangers rule Gero out of Sfax battle

    Flying Eagles striker Alhaji Gero is not in the plans of Enugu Rangers for the crunch second leg Round of 16 CAF Confederations Cup clash away to Tunisian side, CS Sfaxien.

    The Flying Antelopes who only enjoy a slim 1-0 advantage from the first leg played last weekend in Enugu confirmed Gero’s absence from the second leg on their twitter page on Friday night.

    “Alhaji Gero is now in Germany and is out of the game against Sunshine Stars and the Confederation Cup game against Sfaxien,” Rangers wrote via their official twitter handle.

    The statement by Rangers may have finally closed the door on Gero who in an earlier chat with futaa.com said he would have loved to be part of the return leg.

    According to Gero, he projects to be in France when the return leg in Tunisia is to be played and going by the proximity of the two countries, Gero said if the Flying Eagles bench gives him the nod he would sure like to help Rangers seal their place in the last eight of the CAF Confederations Cup.

  • CAF CONFEDERATIONS CUP PLAYOFF: DADA BITRUS: WE WILL MAKE AMMENDS

    CAF CONFEDERATIONS CUP PLAYOFF: DADA BITRUS: WE WILL MAKE AMMENDS

    Enugu Rangers midfielder, Dada Bitrus is confident the Flying Antelopes will hold their own against Tunisia’s SC Sfaxian today after seeing the team’s performance in the NPFL .

    According to the midfielder, the Okey Emordi-tutored side will be using their showing in the domestic front as a motivation force in their quest for a title this season, even as he was quick to add that he was looking foward to a rewarding campaign despite their outster from the CAF Champions League.

    “It’s a thing of commitment here in Rangers, it’s been a long time since Rangers last won a silverware, we were close to winning the league last season, but we narrowly lost out on that as we finished as runners-up. We’ve learnt from our mistakes and we are already working on that.

    “SC Sfaxian is a known club in the continent, but we will be looking at getting the better side of them when they come here to play us, we are very determined.”

    “It’s always a team-work here. We may have been knocked out of the CAF Champions League, but we are still in the continent, so we will be looking at progressing to the next stage of the competition,” added the ex-Unicem Rovers FC ace.

    Dada, it would be recalled, has played a vital role for the Okey Emordi tutored-side this season and has 3 goals in the NPFL to show for his efforts.

  • NPFL: Rangers ready for Bayelsa Utd test

    NPFL: Rangers ready for Bayelsa Utd test

    Nigeria Professional Football League side Enugu Rangers have declared that all is well in their camp ahead of today’s League clash against Bayelsa United.

    The Flying Antelopes via their official twitter handle have been updating on the goings in their Enugu camp and have revealed that there are no injury worries going into the game.

    “All the players are training for the game against Bayelsa United. There are no injury worries,” the club twitted.

    The club later added: “All our players will be available for selection for the game against Bayelsa United on Sunday (today).”

    Rangers were ruthless in their last home game as they collapsed fellow title chasers Kano Pillars 4-0 at the Nnamdi Azikwe Stadium in Enugu and will be gunning for similar result against the visiting NPFL new boys despite being condemned to playing in empty stadium; a punishment handed for club’s misdeed.

  • CAF Champions League: Mba’s goal fails to save Rangers

    CAF Champions League: Mba’s goal fails to save Rangers

    Recreativo Libolo 3-1 Enugu Rangers

    Flying Antelopes go down to Confed. Cup

    Sunday Mba’s 56th minute goal was not enough to stop Enugu Rangers from suffering a 3-1 defeat by Angola’s Recreativo Libolo in Libolo on Saturday evening and also failed to reach the lucrative stage of the CAF Champions League.

    The first leg ended goalless in Enugu a fortnight ago meaning that Rangers needed at least a score draw to go through.

    However, it was the Angolans who looked better prepared that won the day. They scored early through Camara in the 16th minute before Dario added another in the 32nd to go into the break with a two-goal cushion.

    Rangers fought back in the second half as new boy Mba scored in the 56th minute. The Flying Antelopes kept fighting to get another goal but were finally undone when they conceeded a penalty which Dario converted in the 74th minute.

    Rangers will now go down to the Confederation Cup as they remain the only Nigerian team in CAF competition, three months after Nigeria won the Africa Cup of Nations with six players from the local league in their ranks.

  • Enugu Rangers batter Dolphins

    Enugu Rangers batter Dolphins

    Rangers International FC thrashed Dolphins 3-0 in a Nigeria Professional Football League game played on Sunday in Enugu.

    The fact that the game was played in an empty stadium did not take much shine away from it with early exchanges between both sides that failed to produce a goal until the 42nd minute of the game.

    Defender, Chimezie Ajaegbo capitalized on a mixup in the Dolphins defense and ran all the way to slot behind Terhemon Akombo in goal for Dolphins.

    Akombo had come on in the 8th minute for Sunday Rotimi who hurt his groin as early as the 2nd minute of the game.

    Just before half time, Rangers got a free kick from about 25 yards and Chibuzor Okonkwo blasted it with such venom that it looked to have passed through Akombo in goal for Rangers’ second of the day.

    Seven minutes after the restart, Rangers scored their third of the day when Efe Yahere pounced on the rebound after Akombo failed to hold down a shot from Sunday Chinedu.

    It wasn’t until the 54th minute of the game that Dolphins got their first shot on target when an Isiaka Olawale effort was scrambled by the goalkeeper for a corner.

    In the 68th minute, Dolphins coach, Stanley Eguma threw an all attacking side in, taking off Defensive midfielder, Hassan Hussein for Fred Okwarah and had three shots on target and four corner kicks in the last ten minutes but the score line remained the same.

    Dolphins coach, Stanley Eguma said he hoped his side would get better after the loss.

    “There’s nothing we can do about this one. It’s gone. We just have to go back home and prepare better for other games. This one is gone.

    “We tried to wake up in the second half but the damage had already been done,” Eguma said.

    Rangers’ coach, Okey Emordi refused to talk to the press after the game.