Flying Antelopes plays possum with League leaders Ortom Boys
Enyimba is within striking distance of another league title win
By Ed Emeanua
Rangers International now plays Possum with current Nigeria League leaders Lobi Stars following their 2-1 defeat of the Benue State football giants at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium in Enugu.
With the victory, the Enugu-based side has issued a peculiar warning to the current leaders of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), the Ortom Boys, to ‘Beware of Rangers’.
The win left the Flying Antelopes only a point behind the vanquished and second on the table behind the leaders as the season enters its final legs.
Rivers United repelled Heartland’s push to avoid relegation with a 1-0 defeat of the ‘Hearts’ of Imo State at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Port Harcourt also on Sunday. The loss marooned Heartland to the second point in the drop zone, atop only Gombe United on goals difference.
NPFL 2023/2024
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Lobi Stars FC |
26 | 14 | 4 | 8 | 31 | 24 | 7 | 46 |
| 2 |  Rangers International FC |
26 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 34 | 22 | 12 | 45 |
| 3 |  Enyimba FC |
26 | 14 | 3 | 9 | 29 | 22 | 7 | 45 |
| 4 |  Plateau United FC |
26 | 14 | 2 | 10 | 39 | 25 | 14 | 44 |
| 5 |  Remo Stars FC |
25 | 13 | 3 | 9 | 30 | 24 | 6 | 42 |
| 6 |  Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) |
26 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 30 | 25 | 5 | 40 |
| 7 |  Kano Pillars FC |
26 | 11 | 5 | 10 | 33 | 29 | 4 | 38 |
| 8 |  Katsina United FC |
26 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 23 | 22 | 1 | 38 |
| 9 |  Bendel Insurance FC |
26 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 23 | 18 | 5 | 37 |
| 10 |  Abia Warriors FC |
26 | 10 | 5 | 11 | 27 | 29 | -2 | 35 |
| 11 |  Sporting Lagos FC |
26 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 26 | 25 | 1 | 34 |
| 12 |  Sunshine Stars FC |
26 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 26 | 27 | -1 | 34 |
| 13 |  Doma United FC |
26 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 19 | 25 | -6 | 33 |
| 14 |  Rivers United FC |
23 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 25 | 22 | 3 | 31 |
| 15 |  Bayelsa United FC |
26 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 30 | 36 | -6 | 30 |
| 16 |  Niger Tornadoes FC |
25 | 8 | 6 | 11 | 16 | 23 | -7 | 30 |
| 17 |  Kwara United FC |
25 | 6 | 11 | 8 | 19 | 23 | -4 | 29 |
| 18 |  Akwa United FC |
26 | 7 | 7 | 12 | 24 | 29 | -5 | 28 |
| 19 |  Heartland FC |
26 | 4 | 11 | 11 | 23 | 33 | -10 | 23 |
| 20 |  Gombe United FC |
26 | 7 | 5 | 14 | 17 | 44 | -27 | 23 |
At the Pantami Stadium, visiting Akwa Ibom played out a 1-1 draw with Gombe United, just as the encounter between Abia Warriors and Sunshine Stars ended in a goalless stalemate at the Umuahia Township Stadium.
At the Muhammadu Dikko Stadium, Katsina United defeated visiting Plateau United with a 2-1 goal margin in their Northern Derbywhile the Southern Derby between Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) and Remo Stars at the Lekan Salami Stadium ended 2-0 to the advantage of 3SC of Ibadan.
Fixtures & Results
| March 17, 2024 |   Rivers United FC vs Heartland FC |
1 – 0 |
Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium
|
Matchday 26 |
| March 17, 2024 |   Gombe United FC vs Akwa United FC |
1 – 1 |
Pantami Stadium
|
Matchday 26 |
| March 17, 2024 |   Bayelsa United FC vs Kano Pillars FC |
2 – 1 |
Samson Siasia Stadium
|
Matchday 26 |
| March 17, 2024 |   Katsina United FC vs Plateau United FC |
2 – 1 |
Muhammadu Dikko Stadium
|
Matchday 26 |
| March 17, 2024 |   Rangers International FC vs Lobi Stars FC |
2 – 1 |
Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium
|
Matchday 26 |
| March 17, 2024 |   Abia Warriors FC vs Sunshine Stars FC |
0 – 0 |
Umuahia Township Stadium
|
Matchday 26 |
| March 17, 2024 |   Bendel Insurance FC vs Doma United FC |
4 – 0 |
Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium
|
Matchday 26 |
| March 17, 2024 |   Sporting Lagos FC vs Kwara United FC |
2 – 0 |
Mobolaji Johnson Arena Onikan
|
Matchday 26 |
| March 17, 2024 |   Enyimba FC vs Niger Tornadoes FC |
3 – 1 |
Enyimba Stadium
|
Matchday 26 |
| March 17, 2024 |   Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) vs Remo Stars FC |
2 – 0 |
Lekan Salami Stadium
|
Matchday 26 |
In their South versus North Derby, Bendel Insurance annihilated Doma United 4-0 at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, just as Southern Powerhouse Bayelsa United defeated the Superstars from the North Kano Pillars by 2 goals to 1 at the Samson Siasia Stadium in Yenagoa, Bayelsa.
Enyimba FC mauled Niger Tornadoes FC by 3 to 1 goals at the Enyimba Stadium in Abia.
