By Wale Mustapha
Enugu Rangers’ head coach Fidelis Ilechukwu has attributed his team’s goalless draw against Kwara United to the absence of his key striker, Godwin Obaje, who was sidelined by injury.
The Flying Antelopes were held to a 0-0 stalemate by the Harmony Boys in their Matchday 10 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) encounter on Sunday, a match that was played at the Nnamdi Azikwe Stadium in Enugu.
Despite dominating much of the match, Rangers struggled to convert their chances, with the absence of Obaje, who has been leading their attack, proving to be a significant blow.
“We tried having Obaje ready for the game, but he couldn’t because of the injury,” Ilechukwu said in a post-match interview.
“Obaje has shown that he is a great player for the team, especially now that we are struggling to score goals.”
Ilechukwu expressed disappointment with the result, acknowledging that a win would have moved Rangers to a safer position in the league table. He also called on his other strikers to step up and share the goal-scoring responsibility.
“I expect other players to shoulder the responsibility because I always train them all on goal scoring,” he added.
“I feel the pain from the outcome of the game. We will continue to work hard and improve on our lapses in the future.”
Rangers will now face a long trip to Maiduguri for their Matchday 11 fixture against Elkanemi Warriors, where they will look to bounce back and put their recent frustrations behind them.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey 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.
