Israel Abia scored his first goal for Rangers Int’l FC since sealing a controversial move from Sunshine Stars in the January transfer window.

Abia left Sunshine Stars in January as the club’s top scorer, but was declared AWOL by the Akure based club until a deal was struck for his transfer to the 2016 champions.

The forward struck in the first-half against hosts Lobi Stars in a rescheduled fixture at the Aper Aku stadium in Makurdi to stun the title chasing side.

Gbenga Ogunbote and his lads had hoped they will reclaim top spot in the league with victory against the struggling Rangers.

Lobi needed a win to knock Plateau United off their perch to climb the summit of the log and hold a two-point lead.

However, they got off to a poor start and before the interval the visitors stunned the home crowd.

Ogunbote’s charges responded minutes later with a leveler through Mathias Samuel, in the first minute of additional time.

The second-half ended without a goal from either side, but the implications could be grim from Rangers as they remain enmeshed in the relegation battle.

Salisu Yusuf took over the reigns at the club at a difficult point, but the club hasn’t enjoyed the new Manager bounce they had hoped for.

Despite the three-game winning run in January and Wednesday’s draw on the road, they remain 18th in the league.

The bright light for the Flying Antelopes though is they have five games in hand to turn around their season and it’s a prospect Yusuf will embrace.