As Rangers see off Bayelsa Utd

Godwin Obaje made a telling contribution when he scored twice to help Rangers defeat Bayelsa United 3-0 on Sunday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu in their quest for a ninth Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) title.

Fidelis Ilechukwu’s men played from the front and practically pinned their opponents in their half for larger spells of the match.

Despite dominating play, the Enugu side met stiff resistance from the backline of Bayelsa United with goalkeeper Godgift Elkanah making some brilliant saves to deny the home side some goalscoring opportunities.

With the first half looking to end without a goal, Obaje tapped in the opener on 41 minutes off a Chiedozie Okorie assist after receiving a defense-splitting pass from Isaac Saviour before outrunning two defenders to provide an inch-perfect cross for the former league top scorer to score his 10th goal of the season.

In the second stanza, two quick goals on 66 and 68 minutes of play through Obaje and Okorie ensured that it was a complete demolition job and any hope of a fight-back from the visitors was extinguished.

Saviour was again the architect of the second goal as his cross-field pass found Obaje near the opponent’s goal area. He did well to power his way through some tackles to bury beyond Elkanah for his 11th of the season while substitute, Chidiebere Nwobodo provided the assist that Okorie finished to the delight of the home fans and supporters including top Nigerian singer, Chinedu Okoli popularly known by his stage name, Flavor N’abania.

With the victory, Rangers keep the top spot and now hold a four-point lead over second-placed Enyimba who have 56 points.

Rangers’ next opponents will be Sporting Lagos at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos on June 2.