Fresh from their 3-2 aggregate defeat of Burkina Faso’s Etoile Filante in the CAF Confederation Cup, Enyimba Football Club of Aba, yesterday, beat Lobi Stars of Makurdi in the rescheduled Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL) Week Two game.
 
That feat has catapulted Enyimba to the fourth position in the three-week-old league. Enyimba’s victory over Etoile Filante gave them passage to the group stage of the CAF Confederation Cup, where they are the country’s sole surviving team in continental championships.
 
The Peoples Elephant with nine points, still have an outstanding game in the league led currently by Remo Stars, Rivers United, and Niger Tornadoes, who are on nine and seven points respectively.
 
At the Aba Township Stadium, yesterday, Enyimba took the lead through two quick first-half goals by Ufere Chinedu Chukwu (13th minute) and Happy Ekwutoziam Eze, in the 16th minute (penalty).
 
Lobi Stars reduced the tally in the 37th minute through Adebayo Waheeb to end the first half 2-1 advantage to the home team. Both teams came out for the second half better organised, but their efforts could not yield any more goals till the end of the encounter.
 
In Lagos, defending champions, Enugu Rangers, inflicted the first home defeat on Ikorodu City, who are in their first year in the premier league. Ikorodu City, who have only one draw in their kitty after three matches, could not find the answer to Rangers’ fast-paced game in the first half of the tie.
 
Rangers got the winning goal in the 25th minute through Collins Chinemerem Ugwueze in the encounter witnessed by a sparse crowd. Yesterday’s victory was celebrated by the traveling Rangers’ fans, who watched helplessly on Sunday as their darling team was knocked out of the CAF Champions League by Angola’s Sagrada Esperanca on a 3-2 aggregate score.