Rivers United’s pursuit of a wider lead at the top of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) took a disappointing hit in Ibadan.

Finidi George watched as his side conceded a late goal to suffer a 2-1 defeat against Shooting Stars at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Footballrover reports.

Rivers United suffer late heartbreak in NPFL clash

Despite the loss, the Port Harcourt club remains two points clear at the summit of the NPFL table with a crucial game in hand.

The rescheduled Matchday 24 fixture was a tense affair. Shooting took the lead through Sodiq Ibrahim in the 34th minute, but United fought back in the second half.

Wasiu Falolu found the equaliser in the 68th minute, and for a long time, it seemed the Pride of Rivers would leave with a point.

However, Qamar Adegoke struck deep in stoppage time to secure the win for the home side.

Reflecting on the moment the game slipped away, Finidi George noted the unpredictable nature of the sport.

“It’s football. They had their free kick, and luckily for them, we couldn’t deal with it,” he said.

The coach pointed out that defensive lapses in the air proved costly:

“If that ball didn’t drop, if we had dealt with the ball while in the air, that chance wouldn’t have fallen for them. But it’s football; we have to accept it and then move on.”

Finidi focuses on recovery ahead of Ikorodu City

The defeat marks the fourth of the season for the league leaders, with three of those losses coming on the road.

While a draw would have extended their lead to three points, the manager is choosing to focus on the busy schedule ahead rather than dwelling on the missed opportunity.

“We would have added an extra point to the lead. But it’s an outstanding match. We still have another outstanding match,” Finidi explained.

The former Super Eagles boss is now prioritising player fitness before their next away trip.

“Now we just have to think about resting the players properly so that we can play the match against Ikorodu City. So, that’s what we have to do,” he added.

When asked about what went wrong, he remained defensive of his team’s performance, stating,

“We all watched the game; nothing went wrong. Sometimes in the last part of the game you just have to concentrate a little bit more and see how you can deal with those long balls. We couldn’t; that last ball we couldn’t deal with it and we got punished. We’ll learn from that.”

Despite the pressure of the title race, Finidi refused to make bold promises about the trophy.

“I don’t have to assure anybody. I can’t assure anybody anything. We all started the league together with other teams,” he remarked.

He emphasized that their current position is “based on merit” and that they will evaluate their standing “by the time we have eight matches left.”

Regarding the squad’s morale after the late loss in Ibadan, the boss expressed full confidence in their resilience.

“They are used to it. We have played Champions League. We lose, come back, and play league. They keep doing well. So, we just have to encourage them, let them rest properly before the Ikorodu match. So, we are quite optimistic.”

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Last Updated on March 13, 2026 9:59 am by footballrover