Following the victory of Rangers International Football Club over the Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu, Thursday, the Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Barr Lloyd Ekweremadu, has lauded the players for their dexterity and resilience in trouncing the Ibadan based football club.
The Flying Antelopes had returned to the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium for the first time on Thursday after over two and a half seasons to defeat the 3SC of Ibadan 2 - 0 in the ongoing 2023/2024 Nigeria Premier Football League.
The Commissioner, while extolling the players for reopening the stadium with a win, enjoined them to continue with the pace and clinch the cup at the end of the season.
He expressed excitement over the victory despite the hard-fought spirit put up by the “Oluyole Warriors”, saying that the state and the thousands of fans that came out to show support had expected nothing short of victory from Rangers Int’l F.C.
"I am excited with the win. We could not have expected anything better. Rangers won in a dramatic fashion.
“You can imagine the pressure to win this match. This was their first match at the Cathedral; it could have been disappointing should the result turn the other way. They were under a lot of pressure. They might not have played their style but you could see their tenacity and their ambition,” he said.
Barr Ekweremadu, who also commended the state governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, for the support the club had been receiving and for ensuring that the dream of the Flying Antelopes playing at the stadium after some years came to reality, promised that the club would continue to put in their best in order to play at the continental level.
“I thank our Governor, Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, for making it possible for Rangers Int’l F.C to come back to Enugu and for the team to cap it up with a win.
“We want to see Rangers at the top of the table and playing in the continent. I spoke with Rangers management, and they assured me that it is possible. So we have the players and the capacity to deliver,” he added.
