NPFL: “It’s a painful loss” – Ilechukwu reacts to Rangers’ derby defeat to Enyimba

By Wale Mustapha

Enugu Rangers’ Technical Adviser, Fidelis Ilechukwu, expressed his team’s disappointment after suffering a 2-1 defeat to bitter rivals Enyimba FC in Sunday’s oriental derby.

The match, played at the Nnamdi Azikwe Stadium in Enugu, saw Enyimba take control with two first-half goals from Innocent Gabriel and Ekene Awazie.

Rangers managed to pull one back in the second half through Chidozie Okolie, but it proved to be a mere consolation.

Ilechukwu was visibly upset by the result, attributing the loss to his side’s failure to convert several chances.

“It was not the result we wanted, but football showed itself again,” Ilechukwu said in a post-match interview.

“We had a poor first half, conceding two goals, but we came back stronger in the second half.

“We got one goal back, but we couldn’t convert more of the chances we created. It’s a painful loss, and we grieve over it,” he added.

With the defeat, Rangers dropped to eighth place in the NPFL standings with 49 points from 35 matches.

The Flying Antelopes will look to bounce back when they face Rivers United in their next league encounter in Port Harcourt.