TUNDE BOLAJI – MINNA.
Niger Tornadoes football club went for revenge against Ranger International; the People’s Antelope came out with their pond of flesh with 2-1 goals to one and pocketed the three points at stake.
Ismail Sarki’s debut goal and Ifeanyi Okechukwu’s rocket shot, either side of the half, made the difference as the Ikon Allah Boys ran away with a famous victory at the Cathedral.
Tornadoes technical bench prepared a strong 4-4-2 formation with the newly recruited attacking duo of Ismail Sarki and Adebambo Ademola leading the line for Majin Mohammed’s side.
The NPFL matchday 20 encounter in Enugu started at a high tempo as the two teams were seen creating goal-scoring opportunities early in the game.
Ismail Sarki broke the deadlock with the time in the 17th minute when he latched on to Ifeanyi Okechukwu’s pass inside the box to open another account in his second coming in the colors of Niger Tornadoes.
It didn’t take long before the hosts restored parity courtesy of Ugwueze Chinemerem through a header.
The first half ended with a goal apiece, and the second half restarted with the hosts showing more intent to snatch a lead, but the Tornadoes backline, marshaled by Sunday Akinmoladun and Ahmed Family, kept all the host’s onslaughts at bay.
In the 64th minute, the Ikon Allah Boys went ahead for the second time through Ifeanyi Okechukwu, off a scintillating team play that saw Mendos and Papa combine well to set up Ifeanyi who fired a rocket shot into the net.
The score line left the hosts to chase the game but the visitors showed resilience in defending the lead.
Rangers were awarded a spot kick late in the game, exactly in the 88th minute, after the referee adjudged a foul inside the area, but the hosts were unlucky as Okorie Chidozie blasted the ball over the bar.
Further attempts by the hosts to restore parity proved abortive as the referee blew the final whistle to signal the end of the game.
During the post-match chart, Tornadoes Technical Adviser, Majin Mohammed.declared “
“We came here on a mission to avenge the defeat we suffered against Rangers in the reverse fixture, I’m not surprised by the result, because we worked very hard for it”
“Rangers was the only team we failed to pick a point against last season, so we told ourselves after losing in Minna that the dominance should end, and that is exactly what we’ve done.”
“The team has shown character, even without our top scorer, Joseph Godstime, who had traveled out, but the new players have blended well and are ready to help the team judging by the performances of Ismail Sarki and Adebambo Ademola.”
