NPFL title race heats up as Oriental knockout lifts Rangers over stumbling Lobi

The pulsating race for the Nigerian Premier Football League, NPFL, crown took another dramatic twist this weekend, as Enugu Rangers leapfrogged Lobi Stars to seize control of the summit.

At the Enyimba Stadium in Aba, it was the Flying Antelopes who reigned supreme against neighbours from Imo States Heartland with an emphatic 2-1 victory.

Ifeanyi Onyebuchi opened the scoring when he rose highest to thunder home a thumping header, handing Rangers a deserved lead.

Nine minutes after the restart, Kalu Nweke's beautiful strike doubled the visitors' advantage with a thunderbolt that left the Heartland keeper grasping at thin air!

The hosts managed a late consolation, but Fidelis Ilechukwu's men held firm to secure a monumental three points.

While Rangers were soaring in Enyimba, Lobi Stars stumbled on home turf against Bayelsa United. 

Sunday Chinedu's 61st-minute piledriver looked to have the Pride of Benue on course for victory, only for Kehinde Lawal to strike back with a 79th-minute leveller for the visitors.

The 1-1 stalemate saw the Yes Father side lose their position at the top of the standing as Rangers seized pole position with 48 points to Lobi's 47.

With the stakes continuing to rise in this year's exhilarating NPFL run-in, neither of the front-runners can afford any further slip-ups in their quests for glory.