By Our Sports Reporter
ENUGU, NIGERIA — The noise could be heard all the way to London as Enugu Rangers tore apart Bayelsa United in a blistering 4-1 victory at the legendary Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium yesterday.
Known affectionately as ‘The Cathedral’ by its fervent faithful, the Enugu ground lived up to its reputation as a theatre of dreams—or nightmares, if you were wearing a Bayelsa shirt. The atmosphere was hotter than a summer’s day in Lagos, completely overwhelming the visitors.
The Flying Antelopes turned their intimidating home fortress into a demolition zone right from the whistle, hitting Bayelsa with a four-goal blitz that left the ‘Restoration Boys’ completely shell-shocked.
Striker C. Iwundu fired the first salvo with a cool 10th-minute strike, before hitting a magnificent brace just seven minutes later to double the lead. The stadium erupted like Vesuvius!
A quick reply from Bayelsa’s I. Yusuf in the 22nd minute briefly threatened a contest, but that was just a flicker of light before the Rangers-fuelled inferno kicked off again.
A. A. Kenechukwu restored the two-goal cushion on 33 minutes, before C. Igwilo delivered the final, crushing blow just five minutes later to make it 4-1 before the halftime whistle even sounded.
The second half was a procession, with Bayelsa United unable to penetrate the Rangers wall, and the famous Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium faithful celebrating every pass like a goal. The sheer volume and intensity generated by the crowd proves that there are few tougher places to visit in world football.
Rangers have now made ‘The Cathedral of Fire’ an absolute graveyard for opponents, a massive factor in their NPFL title charge. They are simply unstoppable on home turf!
Bayelsa boss was left utterly speechless, watching his team’s five-match unbeaten run turn to dust under the bright lights of Enugu.
He’ll be hoping his boys can recover before their next fixture, because that four-star hammering will take some getting over.
