Rangers International F.C, on Wednesday inside the main bowl of Agege stadium, got stung by a determined Mountain of Fire and Miracles (MFM) F.C who ran away with a 1-0 score line in a match day 4 NPFL 2018/2019 encounter.
After a bright start by the ‘Flying Antelopes’ which saw they throw away two golden opportunities to take the lead on five and twelve minutes through returnee, Michael Uchebo, but the former World cup star failed to make it count.
Rangers was made to rue these missed opportunities on 25 minutes as Adeniji Kabiru reacted the quickest to stab home the opening and only goal of the encounter after Rangers’ Ghanaian shot stopper, Nana Bonsu had made a brave save a moment earlier but his defenders failed to clear the line.
Coach Ogunbote handed starts to new additions to his team as Roland Koffi and Michael Uchebo started the match just as West Omodu and Anthony Shimaga made the bench.
Ajani Ibrahim, Ifeanyi George and Ugochukwu Ugwuoke were a handful for the Fidelis Ilechukwu tutored side in the early part of the encounter with some neat interchange of passes but came shot in the final third were Austine Okpara and Jonathan Zikiye held sway for the host.
With thirteen minutes left on the clock, Rangers’ push for an equalizer was reduced as defender, Tope Olusesi, got his second caution for the day and had to go for early showers as substitute, West Omodu was sacrificed for Shimaga to help with defensive duties.
Nana Bonsu saved the ‘Flying Antelopes’ from more troubles on 80 minutes as his superlative one hand save off a Zikiye’ long range strike that was headed for the top left corner.
Coach Ogunbote said after the encounter, “There are no excuses to make. We failed to take our chances and lost the match. The game has be won and lost. All we have to take away are the positives. We lost the game to carelessness.”
Rangers next encounter in the NPFL is a home game against eternal rivals, Enyimba International F.C in the first ‘Oriental Derby’ of the season slated for the main bowl of Nnamdi Azikiwe stadium, ‘The Cathedral’, Enugu, on Sunday, January 27, 2019.
