Rangers International Football Club of Enugu have clinched the 2023/2024 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) title with a decisive 2-0 victory over Bendel Insurance on Sunday, June 16, 2024.
This win, coming in the second-to-last weekend of the season, propelled Rangers to an unassailable 67 points at the top of the table. The victory was further cemented by the losses of their closest rivals, Remo Stars and Enyimba, who were defeated 2-1 by Sunshine Stars and Sporting Lagos, respectively.
This triumph marks Rangers’ eighth Nigerian league title, making them the second most successful club in the league’s history, just behind Enyimba FC, who hold nine titles.
Rangers had been leading the league for several weeks but faced the risk of losing the title if they failed to win against Bendel Insurance. However, the stars aligned for Rangers on Sunday. They secured the crucial victory while their rivals faltered.
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The breakthrough came 32 minutes into the match when Kenechukwu Agu scored from a well-placed free-kick, sparking celebrations at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium. The Flying Antelopes continued their dominance, and Chidiebere Nwobodo added a second goal in the 65th minute, calming the fans’ nerves.
Nwobodo’s goal led to jubilant chants of “holy, holy, holy Enugu Rangers is another champion” from the crowd as Rangers held on to their 2-0 lead to secure the championship.
With 67 points, Rangers’ final league game against Gombe United is now a formality, as no team can surpass them. Besides winning the title, Rangers have also earned automatic qualification to represent Nigeria in the 2024/2025 CAF Champions League. The battle for Nigeria’s second Champions League spot will be decided on the last game day, with Remo Stars, Enyimba, and Shooting Stars still in contention.
