By Wale Mustapha
Rivers United’s Technical Adviser, Finidi George, expressed disappointment after his side’s 1-0 loss to Bayelsa United in their Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) tie at the Samson Siasia Stadium in Yenagoa on Wednesday.
The Pride of Rivers were undone by Kehinde Malik’s first-half goal, which proved to be the only strike of the game.
Finidi, though disappointed with the outcome, praised his players for their resilience throughout the match, while he acknowledged that such games can be decided by moments of brilliance.
“We came here for something else, but once we conceded that goal, the game became difficult,” Finidi said after the match.
“We pushed for the equalizer in the second half, but we have to give them credit for their defensive discipline.”
Rivers United remains in second place on the NPFL table, with 52 points from 31 matches.
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.
