Desmond Iwuchukwu
A 29th-minute strike from Adaobi Okah was all Rivers Angels needed to beat Naija Ratels 1-0 and pick a second away in this season’s NWFL Premiership.
Okah latched onto a corner delivery by Immaculata Offiong to finish home and hand the Edwin Okon-led side maximum three points in the all-important contest.
The Match Day 12 encounter played inside the Old Parade Ground, Abuja saw the Jewel Of Rivers hold off pressure from the hosts in the second half as they held on to their lone goal to secure a crucial win to take a step closer to Super Six qualification.
Chiamaka Okwuchukwu and Alvin Dah-Zossu twice came close to increasing the tally for Rivers Angels but their efforts were dealt with by the Ratels’ defense.
Edwin Okon was an elated man after the win over Naija Ratels, a win he believes did not come easy, and praised his girls for their fighting spirit.
“I am the happiest man right now. We have been able to gather six points on the road, one in Osogbo and another in FCT. Both wins didn’t come easy, my girls fought really hard for them because they were told what was at stake.
“We are going to ensure we consolidate on these two away wins by winning our next game at home against Heartland Queens before going back on the road to Delta Queens.
“It’s not yet over but I am confident we are going to be among the teams making it to Super 6 this season. We are going to treat our remaining fixtures the same way we did with the last two,” he said.
The goalscorer, Adaobi Okah also spoke after the game. The forward said their determination earned them the win over Ratels.
“Today’s win is a very important one because we needed the three points to keep our hopes alive for Super 6. Our aim was to pick this win and I’m glad we achieved it at the end of the day.
“We kept on encouraging ourselves on the pitch and I told my teammates that even if we weren’t going to score more goals, we should do everything in our power to defend the one we have and we actually did well in defending it.
“I also think that the love amongst us and our mindset heading into the game equally helped us in achieving this result today. It’s for us to go back home now and work on how to maintain this form,” she added.
