Rangers International of Enugu coach, Gbenga Ogunbote has showered praises on his players for getting a 2-1 win away win against Bantu FC of Lesotho on Sunday in the CAF Confederation Cup.
Footballlive.ng reports that Ogunbote was equally happy that The Flying Antelopes held their own against a side he said played well and were determined to get something out of the game.
Rangers took a step closer to the second-tier continental competition’s group stage, as they got goals from Bright Silas and Godwin Aguda, and now only need a draw from the reverse fixture in Enugu to qualify.
The return leg will be played in Enugu on January 20 with the overall winners advancing to the league stage of the competition, which now appears within reach for the Nigerian Cup winners.
The Coal City side looked on the way when Silas opened scoring early in the game to register his fourth goal of the competition, before Aguda hit home a second after the restart.
Bantu, who dropped out of the second round of the CAF Champions League, got a consolation goal, but Rangers held on for a famous win, much to Ogunbote’s relief.
Ogunbote stated further that, despite losing at home, Bantu FC showed that they are a good team, which deserved to be in the Confederation Cup play-off, which means Rangers must not relax in the reverse fixture.
Although Ogunbote admitted his defenders had a loss in concentration towards the final whistle, which allowed their hosts pull a goal back, he promised to work on all lapses noticed in yesterday’s game, in order to also win the second leg this weekend in The Coal City.
Heading into the game, Ogunbote had promised the semi-final as their target, and Rangers took matters seriously from the opening blast of the referee’s whistle, as they went searching for an early goal.
In the 19th minute, their efforts yielded a positive result, as Bright Silas broke the deadlock.
Silas scored his fourth goal in this season’s competition, before Aguda added a second six minutes from time to take his goal tally in the contest to four in five games.
Bantu fans, who trooped into the stadium in their teeming numbers, had something to cheer as Lazola Jokojokwane struck one back in added time to reduce the deficit.
Nonetheless, Rangers have an away goal and points advantage ahead of the return leg this Sunday, January 20 at Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu.
