Rangers vs Enyimba Match: Late Penalty Drama Sparks Pitch Invasion, Match Abandoned

Fans invade the pitch during a late penalty call, forcing Rangers vs. Enyimba to be abandoned.

Title-deciding match between Rangers and Enyimba abandoned after fans invade pitch following late penalty call. The Oriental Derby was halted after Enyimba players disputed the penalty decision and spectators stormed the field, causing chaos.

Following a late penalty call in favor of Enyimba, the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) team Flying Antelopes, the match between Rangers and Enyimba was abandoned on Sunday.

Rangers led the league standings with 60 points, while Enyimba was two points behind them. The match, dubbed the Oriental Derby, was a title-deciding match between the two South-East titans.

The highly anticipated match was drawing large crowds of fans, and everything was going according to plan. Late in the game, though, the referee pointed to the spot, giving Rangers a penalty because the score was deadlocked at zero goals.

The Enyimba players were not happy with that choice and opposed it. Despite efforts to restart play, a few spectators broke into the pitch, causing chaos and ruining the much-anticipated game.

“Rangers 0-0 Enyimba #RANENY #NPFL24 #TheFinalStretch,” the National Premier League stated on its X platform. “Match interrupted after penalty awarded to Rangers in added time.”

The players from Enyimba withdrew from the game and the referee gave Rangers a late penalty.

The league body has not yet responded to the development or the next course of action as of this writing.