Super Eagles assistant coach and Rangers International head coach Fidelis Ilechukwu has backed his side to beat AS Sobemap in the second leg of their CAF Champions League first-round tie despite Sunday’s disappointing 1-1 draw, Soccernet.ng reports.
Rangers took the lead through Chidozie Iwundu in the first half at the MKO Abiola Sports Arena in Abeokuta but were pegged back shortly after the restart. The Nigerian champions could not find a winning goal despite creating opportunities as Sobemap held on for a valuable draw.
The result leaves the tie finely balanced ahead of the return leg in four days, with Rangers now needing a victory to guarantee their progress to the next round.
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Rangers will beat Sobemap – Super Eagles coach Ilechukwu
Ilechukwu, however, remains confident that his players can get the job done, insisting that Rangers’ failure to win was down to their inability to convert their chances rather than the performance of the officials.
“We have a mindset that we can do it everywhere, but we can’t blame the officiating. The referee was fair, he made a little error in the first half, but that’s human,” the 48-year-old told Soccernet.ng.
“The blame is on us for not taking our chances. Football is all about converting chances. When you don’t score, there’s no football because it’s all about winning.”
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The Rangers coach admitted that the problem is becoming a worrying pattern after his team also failed to make their opportunities count in their opening NPFL game against Katsina United.
“We didn’t score, and that gave our opponents confidence. We made changes against Katsina and did it today again, we trained on how to finish our chances, but it happened again,” he added.
Ilechukwu acknowledged that Rangers’ attacking numbers have not been good enough, with the champions scoring just twice across their opening two competitive matches of the season.
“I don’t want to put the team under pressure, but Rangers playing two games and scoring two goals isn’t the best, but it wasn’t so bad,” he said.
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Despite the concern, the former Heartland coach believes the reigning NPFL Champions can still turn the tie in their favour and is particularly confident if Sobemap adopt the same defensive approach in the second leg.
“If Sobemap sit deep like this in the second leg, we’re going to win,” Ilechukwu declared.
He also revealed that Rangers will approach the return fixture with the same mentality, while acknowledging that some key players remain unavailable through injury.
“We will attack in the second leg with the same mindset and the same belief. We’ve done it before, and we need to let the players know that it’s possible to win.
“1-1, it’s 50/50. Our only choice is to win, and we’ll go all out for that game.”
The Super Eagles assistant coach insisted that injuries would not serve as an excuse for the nine-time NPFL Champions, who will now have to produce a stronger attacking display if they are to avoid an early exit from the CAF Champions League.
“Some of our key players are out with injuries, but that’s not an excuse,” Coach Ilechukwu concluded.
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Rangers and Sobemap will meet again in the second leg on September 11, with the winner advancing to the next stage of the competition.
