Rivers United technical adviser, Finidi George, has voiced his displeasure following his side’s frustrating stalemate against Abia Warriors in an intense Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) encounter.
The Pride of Rivers were forced to share the spoils after playing out a 1-1 draw with Abia Warriors in Umuahia on Sunday, in a match that dramatically slipped from their grasp in the closing moments.
Rivers United looked to have secured maximum points when Maclyn Biokpo found the breakthrough in the 87th minute, putting the visitors in front and seemingly sealing a crucial away victory. However, their joy was short-lived as Abia Warriors responded deep into stoppage time, with Suraj Lawal striking the equaliser to deny Rivers United all three points.
Reacting after the game, Finidi George admitted that his team fell short in terms of game management and mental resilience, stressing the need for improvement in handling tense situations late in matches.
“It’s just concentration, we need to get the players stronger mentally to be able to manage games when the match is almost over,” Finidi told Rivers United’s media.
“It’s not a physical thing about managing games, it’s just unfortunate on how the goal was conceded.
“We came to Umuahia not to lose or maybe the players where not even sure if we can get a victory from this game but overall its a sad one.”
The result leaves Rivers United reflecting on another missed opportunity in their NPFL campaign, as attention now shifts to tightening their late-game discipline and improving their match control in crucial moments.
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