Rivers United head coach, Finidi George, has expressed delight after his team secured a 2-1 victory over El-Kanemi Warriors in Sunday’s NPFL Matchday 29 fixture at the El-Kanemi Stadium, Maiduguri, Completesports.com reports.
After enduring the scorching Maiduguri sun in the first half, with the game kicking off at 3 pm, the Pride of Rivers held firm to keep the scoreline goalless at halftime.
However, just two minutes into the second half, Taofeek Otaniyi put Rivers United ahead with a sublime finish. Samson Obi doubled the visitors’ lead in the 61st minute, giving Finidi’s men a commanding 2-0 advantage.
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El-Kanemi Warriors pulled one back through Muktar Ismail in the 90th minute, but Rivers United held on to secure their third away win of the season, adding to their seven away draws. The victory keeps them second in the NPFL table with 49 points—eight points behind leaders Remo Stars, who have 57.
Reflecting on the match, Finidi, a former Nigeria international and UEFA Champions League winner with Ajax, expressed his satisfaction with the result.
“I’m quite happy with the victory. It was a difficult game, especially in the first half,” Finidi said during his post-match press conference.
“The first half was very tough. Playing at 3 pm under the hot sun made things difficult for my players. But in the second half, as the temperature dropped slightly, we settled into our rhythm and scored two good goals.
“We could have scored more. At one point, I felt we should have communicated better to keep the 2-0 lead, but conceding that late goal was frustrating for me as a coach. We’re looking for goals at this stage, and giving away such a cheap goal was disappointing. But overall, we deserved the win.”
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Finidi also revealed what he told his players at halftime that helped them turn the game in their favour.
“We knew they would press high and try to maintain the same intensity in the second half. I told my players that as the temperature dropped, we needed to take advantage—and they did just that.
“That said, we should have seen out the game at 2-0, so I wasn’t happy conceding that late goal. But overall, I’m delighted to travel this far, win, and take all three points. It’s a fantastic result for the team.”
Rivers United now shift their focus to Tuesday’s President Federation Cup clash against FC Barawo in Abuja.
By Sab Osuji