Rivers United head coach Finidi George has conceded that his side were beaten by a superior opponent following their 1–4 home defeat to defending champions FC Pyramids on Sunday in Uyo.
The Nigerian champions suffered a painful exit from the CAF Champions League after the Egyptian giants overturned an early deficit to secure a commanding victory on Nigerian soil.
Reflecting on the encounter, Finidi admitted that Rivers United started brightly but failed to sustain their dominance, particularly in the second half.
“We controlled the game and we got our goal. We didn’t give them room to play in the first half,” Finidi said in his post-match interview.
However, the former Super Eagles winger pointed to costly errors and lapses in concentration as the decisive turning point in the contest.
“Indecision was our wrongdoing in the game because we made mistakes of wrong footing during tackles as the Egyptians were faster,” he explained.
Finidi further acknowledged that his players struggled to cope with the intensity and quality of FC Pyramids after the interval.
“It was difficult for the players to contain them in the second half. We lost to a very good team, especially in the second half,” he added.
The result confirmed Rivers United’s elimination from the competition, bringing an end to their CAF Champions League campaign, while FC Pyramids advance confidently to the next stage of the tournament.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
