Rangers International Head Coach and Super Eagles assistant coach, Fidelis Ilechukwu, has explained why his side – the Coal City Flying Antelopes – were forced to a goalless draw by newly promoted Kun Khalifat in Sunday’s 2025/2026 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) matchday 1 game in Enugu, Completesports.com reports.
Against bookmakers’ expectations, Rangers failed to breach the defence of the NPFL debutants despite dominating the first half of the clash dubbed Rumble in the Cathedral.
Ilechukwu: Things Didn’t Go As Planned
“We had our formal preparation for the game and the season but, you know, in football, sometimes things don’t go the way you want them to,” Ilechukwu, fondly called The Working One, stated.
“This was especially in the second half when we played more under pressure. I even thank God that we didn’t concede because it could have turned out a lost game today,” the Super Eagles assistant coach added.
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Kun Khalifat Came Out Stronger In Second Half
“Talking about pressure, I mean in terms of scoring goals,” Ilechukwu continued. “When a team is working to win a match they are expected to win, and looking at Rangers’ pedigree – what the club means to everybody, and what we did in the first half – we thought things would get better in the second half.
“But they [Kun Khalifat] came back stronger after the break. In the first half, they were more defensive, but in the second half they came out for goals. That really affected us.”
‘We Were Among NPFL’s Top Scoring Sides Last Season’ — Ilechukwu
Ilechukwu admitted that while Rangers were prolific in front of goal last season, his side must work harder this term.
“Last season, Rangers were one of the highest-scoring sides in the NPFL, no doubt about that. I’ll not say what you said isn’t true, but you can’t conclude otherwise because we were among the top six scoring sides in the league last season,” he argued.
“So, I think it’s something we can work on. It’s football. And again, you have to look at the quality of players, because scoring goals is not that easy. It’s not something I’ll stand here and talk about, but it’s work we are already preparing to do,” Ilechukwu concluded.
By Sab Osuji
