By Daily Sports on April 9, 2016

Chisom Egbuchulam was the hero in the top-of-the-table clash of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) as his early goal helped Rangers to a 1-0 win over rivals, FC Ifeanyiubah, and returned them to the league summit, pending today's matches.

Rangers head coach, Imama Amapakabo, listed an unchanged side that drew 1-1 in midweek at MFM FC before a late team news meant that Senegalese defender Ousmane Pape Sane pulled up and his place was taken up by Azeez Camara.

His FC Ifeanyiubah counterpart, Mitko Dobrev, made three changes. Uche Okafor started in goal in place of Edwin Nwakanma while Tamen Medrano and Ikechukwu Mbonu took the places of Maduabuchi Okereke and Arinze Agudosi respectively.

The game was barely five minutes old when Egbuchulam scored. He combined pace, power and brilliance to open scoring on four minutes.

The Rangers man picked the pocket of FC Ifeanyiubah's defence from a poor pass, skipped past Chibuzor Okonkwo and Okafor in goal, steadied himself to loop the ball into the net with an awareness of sensing that the retreating Okonkwo and Olamilekan Aniyikaye, nicknamed Adeleye, would slide in a bid to make a goal-line clearance.

On nine minutes, Paschal Seka fluffed his lines from a scoring position when he headed Bright Onyedikachi's inch perfect cross wide.

Onyedikachi continued to pull the strings for Ifeanyiubah, and again he turned provider for Ngoma Luamba, who also nodded off target in the 14th minute.

At this point, FC Ifeanyiubah were commanding play in the middle with Luamba, Onyedikachi and Medrano in the thick of things as Rangers sat back hoping to hit their opponents on the break.

Kofi Nti Boakye, Wilson Elu and Seka all came close to levelling the game, but that attempts typified why FC Ifeanyiubah were poor in the final third all afternoon.

Egbuchulam should have doubled Rangers' lead when Obinna Nwobodo slipped him through but he fired wide.

The business half of the contest did not really spring to life like the first though FC Ifeanyiubah looked like the side that would score next.

Rangers defender Nnamdi Anyasodo cleared Luamba's header off the line just before the hour mark goalkeeper Emmanuel Daniel beaten.

FC Ifeanyiubah fansand bench must have had their hearts in their mouths in the 68th minute when Etim Matthew's cross clipped the woodwork with Okafor thinking the ball was headed over the bar.

Sensing that his team were being overpowered in midfield, Rangers gaffer, Amapakabo, sent on Emeka Eze in place of attacking wingerOsas Okoro, who had a quiet outing by his standards.

Rangers could have got an insurance goal at the death if Ifeanyi Egwim was decisive in either going for goal or slipping a pass to an unmarked team. He went for the former and smashed it wide.

The Flying Antelopes with the 1-0 win, replace Ifeanyiubah at the top of the NPFL standings with 21 points, and are now two points clear of the chasing pack until today's matches. (supersports.com)

- Photo shows goalscoring Chisom Echugbulam

Source Daily Sports

Posted April 10, 2016

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