By Wale Mustapha
Enugu Rangers’ Head Coach, Ekenedilichukwu Ekeh, admitted that his team had to work incredibly hard to secure a 5-3 penalty victory over Heartland FC in their Round of 32 clash at the President Federation Cup on Wednesday.
After a tense 1-1 draw at the end of regulation time, Rangers triumphed in the shootout to advance to the next stage of the competition at the Awka City Stadium.
Ekeh praised his players for their resilience in the face of a tough challenge from their eastern rivals, Heartland, and emphasized the team’s commitment to winning the competition.
“It was a tough match as expected, they (Heartland) gave us a good fight, but we gave our best to emerge victorious over our neighbors,” Ekeh said.
“Our target remains going as far as winning the trophy for the seventh time,” he added.
The Flying Antelopes will now face Insurance FC in the Round of 16, a team that defeated Rangers in last year’s final.
Rangers last won the prestigious title in 2021 when they triumphed over Kano Pillars in a penalty shootout in Asaba.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
