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  • Feb, Sun, 2020
Sport

NPFL: Akwa United end Rangers’ unbeaten run with 2-1 win in Enugu

Rangers
By  Nicholas Obisike
Enugu, Feb. 16, 2020 (NAN) Rangers International Football Club of Enugu on Sunday had their six-match unbeaten run halted by visiting Akwa United FC of Uyo after a 2-1 defeat at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium.

The visitors took the first initiative with the first goal in the 13th minute through Ndifreke Effiong as the visitors took the game to their hosts.

But their lead lasted until the 56th minute when Kenechukwu Agu equalised for the Flying Antelopes.

Akarandut Orok however restored the lead for Akwa United in the 72nd minute, which they held on to until the final whistle.

Speaking after the match, Orok said his team prepared well for the match.

“I feel great scoring the winning goal, because it is always painful to score and your team lose at the end.

“But scoring one of the goals that gave us victory today is what matters a lot and I hope to continue scoring for my team.

“We knew that it was going to be tough as we played a draw with them at home. So, we raised our game today,” he said.

Orok said he and his teammates took it as a challenge after they lost four points at home in their last two matches.

“The players agreed to fight for points at away to make up for the points lost at home and thank God we got it right in Enugu against one of the toughest teams.

“It was a good win for us as it will push us up on the NPFL table and we will keep fighting till the end,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the win lifted Akwa United to the fourth position on the log after 32 points from 21 matches.

Rangers dropped to the 17th position with 20 points after 16 matches.(NAN)

NUO/DOE/OLAL

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(Edited by Dianabasi Effiong and Olawale Alabi)

 

Sport

Europa League: Celtic in command but Rodgers laments poor defending

Defending

Glasgow (UK), Aug. 24, 2018 (Reuters/NAN) Celtic have one foot in the Europa League group stage after their 1-1 draw with Suduva in Lithuania on Thursday.

However, city rivals, Rangers manager Steven Gerrard, conceded his side had plenty of work to do after a 1-0 home win over Russia’s Ufa.

Poor defending had seen Celtic knocked out of the Champions League qualifiers by AEK Athens last week.

After taking a third minute lead through Olivier Ntcham, they conceded another soft goal 10 minutes later when Ovidijus Verbickas headed home from a free-kick.

The Scottish champions enjoyed the lion’s share of possession without carving out too many opportunities.

While they will be favourites to advance, manager Brendan Rodgers said his side had to tighten up at the back.

“We gave away a soft goal. That is a real, real concern now,” he told the club’s website.

“We are not giving away many chances, but we don’t defend the set-piece well enough.

“We seemed to lack concentration, which was a problem for us, and we lacked pride in terms of defending. I think that’s pretty clear,” he added.

“Games like that, especially away from home, you need to demonstrate that hunger not to concede. It was too easy.”

City rivals Rangers will carry a slender lead to Ufa in the autonomous republic of Bashkortostan next week.

Former England captain Gerrard said they would need a battling performance to reach the group stage of the tournament.

“We won’t be getting carried away. We understand and respect the opposition and we need a performance full of heroes and warriors next week,” he told reporters.

“But we’re capable of going there, being hard to play against and defending well like we’ve shown before. We’re also capable of getting an important away goal.”

Rangers are unbeaten in 10 matches under Gerrard who took over in May and has brought in 12 players.

He looks to end Celtic’s run of seven successive Scottish Premiership titles. (Reuters/NAN)
KIA/TÁ
Edited by Tajudeen Atitebi

Sport

Gerrard’s Rangers open against Aberdeen, Celtic host Livingston

Scottish League

Glasgow (UK), June 15, 2018 (Reuters/NAN) Rangers’ new manager Steven Gerrard will kick off his tenure in the Scottish Premiership away at Aberdeen on August 5, a day before Celtic begin their title defence against newly-promoted Livingston.

Gerrard, who took over from Graeme Murty on a four-year deal last month, will get his first taste of the Old Firm derby when he visits his former manager Brendan Rodgers at Celtic Park on Sept 1.

The former Liverpool captain will look to have a crack at Celtic’s recent dominance, which yielded seven straight titles including a record-breaking second successive domestic treble last season.

Rangers have won a record 54 Scottish league titles but are struggling to recover from the financial problems that saw them reformed in the bottom tier of Scottish football in 2012.

Aberdeen, who finished runners-up for the last four seasons, will face title rivals Celtic on Sept 29. (Reuters/NAN)

KIA/AFA

Edited by Felix Ajide

 

Sport

Celtic beat Rangers 2-0 to set up Scottish Cup final with Aberdeen

NAN-S-17

Celtic
By Victor Okoye
Abuja, April 23, 2017 (NAN) Celtic on Sunday beat Rangers 2-0 at Hampden to set up a Scottish Cup final meeting with Aberdeen and the chance to complete a domestic treble.

Callum McGregor’s superbly placed finish put the Premiership champions ahead during a dominant first half from Brendan Rodgers’ side.

Scott Sinclair squeezed in a penalty kick after Rangers’ James Tavernier had fouled Leigh Griffiths.

Goalkeeper Craig Gordon twice denied Kenny Miller in Rangers’ best attacks.

But the Ibrox side could not prevent the first defeat of Pedro Caixinha’s reign as manager and must now focus on securing European qualification through the league.

Celtic have already won that tournament and the League Cup and will face the Dons back at the national stadium on May 27.

This will be the second Aberdeen-Celtic cup final this season as they hope to complete the domestic clean sweep for the first time since 2001.

This was a difficult day for Rangers, but one can only speculate as to how much sorer it might have been had Andy Halliday been punished to the max after lunging in on Patrick Roberts early on.

The Rangers midfielder took Roberts out and was fortunate to see yellow instead of red.

Quickly, Celtic took hold of things and their greater intensity, accuracy and quality paid off with the opener.

Mikael Lustig hit a long downfield ball over Danny Wilson’s head and into Moussa Dembele, who took it down, looked around him and saw McGregor steaming forward untracked.

The Frenchman played it to McGregor, who stroked it coolly into the corner of Wes Foderingham’s net.

Celtic were dominant but their mission was not helped when they lost Dembele to a hamstring injury just before the half-hour, with Griffiths coming on.

Rangers had been fortunate to escape a dismissal earlier with Halliday and were lucky again when Myles Beerman, already on a yellow for fouling Roberts, impeded him again a minute later.

Beerman survived, but it was not long before Rangers’ hopes of a cup final appearance were extinguished.

Pedro Caixinha made two substitutions at the break — Joe Dodoo coming on for the peripheral Joe Garner and Barrie McKay replacing Halliday.

But no sooner had those changes bedded in than Celtic hit their opponents on the counter and smoothed their passage to the final.

It was Dedryck Boyata who broke up a Rangers attack and got his team on the front foot.

Roberts took it on and put Griffiths into the box, where he was taken down by Tavernier.

The spot-kick from Sinclair found the target via Foderingham’s diving hands and then the inside of his right-hand post.

There could have been more. Foderingham tipped over Griffiths’ shot, Boyata headed over and Roberts had one saved.

Celtic then lost their edge and Rangers got on top and started creating good chances.

Just after the hour, Miller had a close-range header saved by Gordon, though the striker might have done a whole lot better.

Then, with 10 minutes left, he had another opportunity — a point-blank shot kicked away by Gordon.

Again, it was the type of opening that Rangers had to convert.

Martyn Waghorn headed over from a good position, Dodoo forced a diving save from Gordon and, at the other end, McGregor’s replacement Tom Rogic hit a post for Celtic.

Those late chances will give Rangers hope ahead of their Old Firm league meeting at Ibrox on Saturday, but Celtic’s victory was well earned and their treble dream remains very firmly on track. (NAN)
VO/OLAL
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(Edited by Olawale Alabi)

Sport

Continental club competitions: NFF to inspect Enugu, Bauchi, Nnewi, Port Harcourt stadiums

NAN-S-21

Inspection
By Bushrah Yusuf-Badmus
Ilorin, Jan. 11, 2017 (NAN) The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) will inspect all four venues being proposed for home matches by clubs representing Nigeria in African competitions in 2017, a federation official said on Wednesday.

NFF’s Acting Director of Communications, Ademola Olajire, said in a statement that this was based on the agreement reached with the clubs at a meeting in Abuja on Wednesday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was between NFF officials and officials of the four clubs, namely Rangers International, Rivers United, FC IfeanyiUbah and Wikki Tourists.

Olajire quoted NFF’s Director of Competitions, Bola Oyeyode, as saying none of the four stadia had been previously inspected and approved by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the competitions’ organisers.

Oyeyode said this necessitated the need for NFF to inspect the venues well ahead of the continental competitions.

“So, the deliberations today (Wednesday) centred on match venues, stadium readiness, team preparation, team travel and accommodation, logistics, match officials’ travel and accommodation, communication with NFF and officials of the opposition team, safety, security and medical provisions,’’ the statement quoted him as saying.

It added that Oyeyode also briefed officials of the four clubs on the requirements of CAF.

Oyeyode further harped on the importance of being fully prepared in all the noted areas in order not to attract avoidable sanctions and unpleasant experiences during their campaigns.

NAN reports that Enugu-based NPFL champions Rangers International will fly the country’s flag in the CAF Champions League alongside runners-up Rivers United of Port Harcourt.

Also, Federation Cup winners FC IfeanyiUbah of Nnewi and League third place-finishers Wikki Tourists of Bauchi will campaign in the CAF Confederation Cup.

Rangers have proposed to make use of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium in Enugu for their home matches, while Rivers United are opting for the Yakubu Gowon Stadium in Port Harcourt.

On their part, Wikki Tourists decided on the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium in Bauchi, while FC IfeanyiUbah will host their home matches at the Ifeanyi Ubah International Stadium in Nnewi.

NAN reports that first round first leg matches in this year’s African club competitions will take place on the weekend of Feb. 9 to Feb. 11.(NAN)
BAY/MOL/OLAL
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(Edited by Mustapha Lamidi and Olawale Alabi)