Enugu Rangers, Heartland share spoils in high-profile friendly

Enugu Rangers forced Heartland to a 2-2 draw in a high-profile friendly at the Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri on Sunday.

Before the friendly, both topflight teams had met twice in the 2017/18 season, with the Flying Antelopes claiming victories over two legs, including the 1-0 win on June 10 before the break.

The Naze Millionaires were on the brink of suffering the third defeat against the Enugu based side after Ugochukwu Ugwueme and Osayi Itua’s strikes gave the visitors a 2-0 first-half lead.

In the second half, Ere Dokubo made some changes to his starting team which ensured Abiodun Thompson and Uche Oguchi’s efforts saw the hosts crawl back to escape defeat this time.

“It was a very good match for us as we prepare for the resumption of the league. Both teams played well despite the difficult nature of the playing turf,” coach Dokubo told media.

“I noticed the pattern the opponents were playing and made the changes in the second half and it paid off. The result was a fair result for both sides.”

While Rangers coach Gbenga Ogunbote said: “The result was not a bad one but if you look at the factors leading to conceding the two goals, shows we were a bit careless.

“However, there are positives from the game as we were able to expose our youth professionals to tough opponents as will be seen when the league resumes.”