Nigeria’s Rangers International played strongly to beat Algeria’s MC Alger 2-0 in the first leg of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League Second Preliminary Round on Sunday, even after losing a player to a red card in the 13th minute.
James Emo scored both late goals for Rangers, including a penalty in the 83rd minute and another goal in the 87th minute, giving the Nigerian team an important lead before the second leg on 23 October in Algeria.
After losing a player early on, Rangers coach Fidelis Ilechukwu had to quickly change his strategy. Despite having one less player, Rangers held off MC Alger’s efforts to score, and the first half ended without any goals.
In the 52nd minute, MC Alger also lost a player to a red card, which interrupted the game briefly. Tensions rose further when an official from MC Alger was sent off in the 70th minute.
Rangers finally scored their first goal from the penalty spot in the 83rd minute, and Emo increased their lead just four minutes later. The win means Rangers now need to defend their two-goal lead in the return match in Algeria to move on to the group stage.
