Finidi George has strongly dismissed any suggestion that Rivers United are losing their grip on a top-two league finish following the Pride of Rivers’ 2-0 defeat to Abia Warriors in Umuahia on Sunday, Completesports.com reports.
Emmanuel Ogbuagu gave Abia Warriors the lead with a stunning free-kick from 30 yards in first-half stoppage time.
Anthony Ijoma capped off a brilliant move in the 74th minute to score his 10th goal of the season, sealing a comfortable victory that pushed Abia Warriors into third place on the table.
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The defeat marked Rivers United’s second successive loss, ending a six-game unbeaten run.
Asked if the back-to-back defeats could derail Rivers United’s CAF Champions League ambitions—given their slender two-point lead over Abia Warriors—Finidi, fondly called ‘Finito’, was unequivocal in his response.
“No, no, no! We’re two points ahead of them. They’re playing away, while other teams like us are playing at home in the next game. We’re going to win our game and stretch the gap to five points,” Finidi said confidently.
“I’m not too worried about that. I’m confident we’ll win at home. They (Abia Warriors) won at home, so we definitely are going to win at home.
“This is a critical stage of the league where you don’t take anything for granted. We’re playing against Sunshine Stars, and I know we’re going to win. Other teams can go away and win, but for us, we must focus on our home games.”
The former Super Eagles winger—who led Enyimba to the league title in the 2022/2023 season—insisted his expectations for continental football remain high with five matches left in the campaign.
“Yes, we have three home games out of the remaining five. We’ll take care of our home games and see what happens at the end of the day.”
Reflecting on the loss to Abia Warriors, Finidi pointed to Ogbuagu’s spectacular goal just before half-time as the moment that unsettled his side.
“Yeah, that’s what I’m saying. You concede a goal like that—one no one expected—in first-half added time, and it changes the game. No one expected them to score from that distance. That goal shifted the momentum,” he said.
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“Coming into the second half, they were definitely calmer. They were no longer in a hurry. I think we were the ones in a rush, trying to find a way back.
“We exposed our backline in the process, and they capitalised on that to get their second goal.”
He continued: “Overall, it wasn’t a bad game. We started well and had one or two chances in the first half, but couldn’t take them.
“Then came that goal, which gave them calmness and confidence. From that distance, I wasn’t expecting the ball to go in. In a tight game like this, conceding such a goal gives the opponents a big boost.
“In the second half, we had to change our approach. We brought in two strikers to try to turn things around. But when they saw that, they managed the game better. They got the second goal, and at that point, the match was over.”
By Sab Osuji
