By Wale Mustapha
Rivers United head coach, Finidi George, expressed his satisfaction after his side secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Kano Pillars on Sunday, reclaiming the top spot in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL).
The Pride of Rivers took the lead in the first half through Aniekeme Okon’s solitary goal, and despite a nervy second half, they held on to claim all three points in the Matchday 15 clash.
Finidi acknowledged the challenge posed by Kano Pillars but praised his players for their resilience.
“We are very happy for the victory, which was a difficult game. In the first half, we created one or two chances, but in the second half, the team was a little bit nervous trying to hold on to the only goal instead of going for the second,” Finidi said.
“At the tail end of the game, we pushed back defensively to see how we could preserve the lead,” he added.
With the win, Rivers United moved back to the top of the NPFL table. They will now turn their focus to their next challenge, as they take on Enugu Rangers in their upcoming fixture.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career 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.
