โฆEnugu Rangers to play second leg on Friday in Algiers
Two late goals from Kenneth Igboke in the 87th minute and Emo James in the 90th minute handed Enugu Rangers a 2-0 victory over MC Alger in the first leg of their CAF Champions League second-round qualifying tie at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta, keeping their hopes of reaching the group stage alive.
Both teams, eager to secure a place in the lucrative group stage of the competition, started brightly. However, Rangersโ promising start was disrupted in the 14th minute when goalkeeper Lucky Jimoh was sent off for fouling an MC Alger player through on goal.
Despite being reduced to 10 men early in the contest, Rangers remained resilient and held their opponents at bay as the first half ended goalless.
The hosts were handed a lifeline in the 53rd minute when MC Algerโs Oussama Benhaoua received a second yellow card and was sent off, leaving both teams with 10 men.
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With the numerical advantage level, Rangers stepped up the pressure on the visitors and found the back of the net, only for the goal to be correctly ruled out for offside.
As the pressure mounted, Chimobi Igwilo dribbled his way into the penalty area before being brought down, prompting the referee to immediately point to the spot.
Despite the mounting pressure, Igboke kept his composure to convert the penalty, sending the home fans into wild celebrations.
Rangers struck again just three minutes later. After thwarting an MC Alger attack, the hosts launched a swift counterattack, with Emo James picking up the ball just beyond the centre circle. He surged forward, outpaced his marker and calmly slotted the ball into the net to double Rangersโ advantage in the 90th minute.
Igwilo had a chance to make it 3-0 later in the game, but his effort from inside the penalty area sailed over the crossbar.
Rangers will now look to complete the job when they travel to Algiers for the return leg against MC Alger on Friday at the 42,500-capacity Ali Ammar Stadium, as they seek to secure their place in the CAF Champions League group stage.
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