Fidelis Ilechukwu, head coach of Rangers International, has revealed why the Flying Antelopes struggled against US Zilimadjou of Comoros in their CAF Champions League (CAFCL) opener on Sunday, August 18.
Although Rangers secured a 1-0 victory thanks to Frank Uwumiro’s first-half strike at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Ilechukwu said the reigning NPFL champions missed the services of their top striker Godwin Obaje.
“Obaje is a top-class player; he’s one of the best strikers in Nigeria and very effective around the box. If you ask me more about him, I would call him the best player in Nigeria,” Ilechukwu said.
Despite the crucial first-leg win, the Flying Antelopes missed several clear-cut chances that could have put the game beyond Zilimadjou’s reach.
“I think we did very well in the first half. We planned well but wasted many opportunities. When you play and don’t score, you’re going to be under pressure,” Ilechukwu commented.
“We planned to win this game convincingly so that the next match would be much easier for us, but things didn’t go as expected.”
Rangers and Zilimadjou will meet again for the second leg of the CAFCL preliminary first round on Friday, August 23.
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