Nigeria’s reigning league champions, Rangers International F.C continued its chase for a place in the group stage of TotalEnergies CAF Champions League 2024/2025 with a 1-0 win over Angola’ vice-champions of the Girabola, G.D Sagrada Esperanca in the first leg, second preliminary round of the premier continental club competition.
Kazeem Ogunleye’ 78th minute strike proved to be the match winner after his fierce shot on his weaker foot found its way past Leonardo Mutunda who was spectacular between the sticks for the visiting side who proved a hard nut to crack for the coach Fidelis Ilechukwu tutored side.
Coach Ilechukwu handed starts to the quartet of Bashir Usman, Ikenna Stephen, Anayor Ogbonna, and Ekeson Okorie as he stuck with other starters in the earlier round of the competition with Isaac Saviour, Agu Kenechukwu and Ugochukwu Ejike preferred in the middle of the pack with the usual backline to provide cover for short-stopper, Japhet Opubo.
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Ekeson Okorie was quickly set up on early goal run by a defense splitting pass from Isaac Saviour after the host kicked off the encounter watched by an appreciative crowd but the fleet footed attacking midfielder faltered with the opportunity on 2 minutes.
The visitors relied mostly on counter-attacking moves with Felisberto Sebastiao and pint-sized, Filipe Pimpao causing some anxious moments for the home side but goalkeeper and skipper of the home side, Opubo Japhet showed class between the sticks to keep a clean-sheet as both sides retired to the dressing room on an even note.
At the start of the second stanza, Chiedozie Okorie came in for Ekeson Okorie and this helped to push the visitors into their defensive shells while further substitutions that saw the introduction of the trio of Chinemerem Ugwueze, Kazeem Ogunleye and Onyekachi Okafor brought out more attacking moves for the Ilechukwu tutored side and in one of his runs, Kazeem Ogunleye escaped some tacking legs to blast into the net what turned out to be the match winner and sent the fans in their numbers to celebrate the goal.
Three minutes into added-on time, Japhet Opubo made himself big enough to deny Felisberto Sebastiao a golden opportunity to draw his said level.
Coach Fidelis Ilechukwu in his post-match said, “It was a game we planned very well but I am a bit disappointed with how the players approached the match from the beginning. We threw away many chances, but we hope not to put the players under more pressure. We need to encourage them because this game is delicately poised. We are happy to have won with a solitary goal and hopefully, we would get our acts right in Luanda and need to score. Anything is possible. The visitors are a good side as they tried to neutralize us in the second half. It is clear that they have players that can give us problems, but we equally have what it takes to wrap the contest in Luanda, Angola.”
Captain of the side, Chinemerem Ugwueze, said, “It was not all rosy for us today. It was a pressure game, but we were able to get the vital win. For the return leg, we are very positive and confident in ourselves though we know it won’t be an easy match.” Rangers will next week, Sunday, September 22, engage the Angolan side in the return leg scheduled for 11 de Novembro Stadium, Luanda, Angola.
