Before the Sunday evening encounter, Abdul Maikaba, Enugu Rangers coach had boasted he will win Akwa United “convincingly” in Uyo.
He accomplished his target and left Akwa United fans annoyed with a 0-3 win at the Nest of Champions.
Akwa United had the first 25 minutes full of opportunity to score but lost their chances which gave the visitors the courage to go all out. However, the first 45 minutes ended goalless with Akwa United having more goal attempts.
In the second half, Maikaba changed the game and got a convincing victory. His trick was to put Akwa United under pressure by scoring first and he did.
“I wanted my team to be at the continental slot, I think I have achieved that.
The race for top four was heated for both clubs. Akwa had 27 points and Rangers got 28 points before the Sunday match. At the end of 90 minutes Akwa United succumbed to the magic wand of a ‘superior’ football tactician.
Akwa United really buckled under pressure especially at the midfield and defence line. They had too many loose balls and Rangers eagerly punished their ‘mistakes’.
Akwa United Assistant Coach, Umar Abdullahi said, “we got it wrong mostly at the midfield, Rangers knows the philosophy of play and tried to dominate the midfield.
“We actually added more players in the midfield but the strength of their players was more than ours because we lost the balls more often. And they capitalized on us.”
Enugu Rangers now sits 3rd on the NPFL table with 31 points while Akwa United is 6th with 27 points.
Elsewhere, Dakkada FC lost 2-1 to Sunshine Stars despite opening scoring at 2nd minutes of play.
The home team equalized 11 minutes after and scored the winner in the 76th minute.
Dakkada has again gone knee-deep into relegation zone sitting 19th on the league table.
