Rivers United’s push for Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) glory took a major hit on Wednesday after a tough outing in Yenagoa.

A single early goal was all it took for Bayelsa United to claim victory, leaving Finidi George’s side with a frustrating setback, Footballrover reports.

With the title race heating up, the Port Harcourt club must regroup quickly for a decisive showdown ahead.

Rivers United falter again as Bayelsa United strike early

For the second time this season, Bayelsa United edged past Rivers United with a narrow 1-0 win.

Kehinde Lawal struck in the 13th minute at the Samson Siasia Stadium, mirroring their last meeting, where Bayelsa stunned Rivers with an early goal in Port Harcourt.

The loss dents Rivers United’s NPFL title aspirations, as they remain second on the table with 52 points from 31 matches—five points behind leaders Remo Stars, who have a game in hand.

Finidi George reacts: ‘We don’t deserve it’

Speaking after the defeat at Bayelsa United, Rivers head coach Finidi George expressed his disappointment.

“They won it, but if you want to go about the play and what really happened, we don’t deserve to lose, but that’s football.

We’re not focused on Bayelsa; we have to think about our next home match, which is Remo. Let’s see how we can win,” Finidi told the club’s media.

However, the Rivers United boss remains focused on the bigger picture. With a crucial fixture against Remo Stars next, Finidi insists his team will keep fighting.

The former NPFL champions have played one more match than their title rivals, but Finidi believes pressure on Remo Stars could still tilt the race in their favour.

Finidi had earlier stated that his team will keep fighting to snatch the NPFL title from Daniel Ogunmodede’s side.

“We will keep pushing and put more pressure on Remo Stars. We will definitely do our own part and watch what the outcome of their postponed fixture will be, but for us, we want to keep winning in the remaining fixtures in the league,” he said.

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Last Updated on March 27, 2025 6:26 am by Sir Kris