Away draw worth more than 100 points for Rangers International, Maikaba says

By Peter Uwumarogie

Abdul Maikaba, the Technical Adviser of Rangers International, on Sunday described the point his team gained from their goalless draw with hosts Doma United Football Club as a vital point.

Maikaba said the point gained was worth more than 100 points.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Match Day 17 fixture in the 2022/2023 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) Group B was played on Sunday at the Pantami Township Stadium.

Maikaba said his team were in Gombe with a game plan which was aimed at avoiding defeat to Doma United and “I am very happy our plan worked.”

He said getting a point away was good for his players and their efforts at remaining in the NPFL.

“I feel excited actually. It is a good result for us. Getting a result from Gombe against Doma United is something good for my team at this point in time because it will help us a lot to consolidate our position in the league.”

Maikaba said it would have been better if his players had utilised the goalscoring chances they missed during the game.

He added that they were unlucky not to have scored on about three occasions during the game.

The coach said he would not however blame his players for not utilising their goal-scoring chances because “it happens in football and mostly in away games as a result of anxiety.

“They were eager to put the ball at the back of the net and, in so doing, they became too much in a hurry and got it wrong.

“All the same, one point is enough. Our game plan worked very well,” he said.

While rating his opponents well, Maikaba said Doma United’s players were excellent, young and good, noting that the team was one of the teams which had earned his respect in the league.

“I wish them well to qualify for the Super Six, because they will showcase good football there. They have got good talent,“ he said.

Also speaking, Akinade Onigbinde, the Technical Adviser of Doma United, described the game as a “very bad one. We are not happy about the result, but there is nothing we can do.”

Onigbinde said his team tried their possible best to get victory but the result did not go as expected because they needed only the maximum points in the game to earn their place to play in the Super Six.

He, however, blamed his boys for not sticking to their game plan while wasting lots of goalscoring opportunities during the game.

(NAN)