Rangers gift players $10,000 after Sobemap win

Rangers International General Manager, Amobi Ezeaku, has rewarded the players with $10,000 (about N13.2m) for their qualification for the second preliminary round of the CAF Champions League, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Ezeaku announced the cash gift while addressing the players after their penalty shootout victory over Benin Republic champions AS Sobemap in Lomé, Togo, assuring them that there would be more rewards for their efforts.

“I am not going to say to you guys, when we get back to Nigeria, Captain, come, I have here with me $10,000, and this $10,000 is for you guys. Congratulations, and we are going to do more. By God’s grace, we are going to do more,” Ezeaku told the team.

The Rangers chief also urged the players to maintain their discipline as they prepare for a tougher challenge in the next round of the competition.

“Now, I want you to pay attention. We are a disciplined team,” he added.

The reward comes after the Flying Antelopes secured their passage into the next round by defeating AS Sobemap 5-4 on penalties in Lomé on Friday.

The encounter ended 1-1 after regulation time, the same scoreline recorded in the first leg in Abeokuta, forcing the tie into a penalty shootout.

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Although Rangers missed their opening penalty, they kept their composure as the Benin champions missed twice to hand the Nigerian champions victory and a place in the second preliminary round.

Ezeaku described the gesture as a reward for the team’s fighting spirit and commitment to the club.

“This is for the fight, the spirit and the badge,” he said.

Rangers will now turn their attention to the second preliminary round, where they are expected to face Algerian champions MC Alger, who were held to a goalless draw by ASN Nigelec of Niger Republic in the first leg of their tie.

The Flying Antelopes are seeking to progress further in Africa’s premier club competition after failing to reach the group stage when they last featured in the preliminary round following their 2024 NPFL title triumph.

Rangers’ biggest continental achievement remains their 1977 African Cup Winners’ Cup triumph, and the Enugu club will hope their latest Champions League campaign can revive their continental pedigree.