By Wale Mustapha
Ikorodu City Technical Adviser, Nurudeen Aweroro, has expressed deep disappointment following his side’s late loss to Rivers United in their Matchday 30 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) clash on Sunday.
The Oga Boys were narrowly defeated by the Pride of Rivers in Port Harcourt, with Bolu Shodumade scoring the decisive goal in stoppage time to hand Rivers United a dramatic 1-0 victory and all three points.
Aweroro, visibly frustrated, admitted that his players lost focus towards the end of the match, which ultimately led to the late concession.
“We knew we were facing a tough team in Rivers United, who are competing for the league title, and I expected a challenging encounter,” Aweroro said in a post-match interview with Ikorodu City media.
“But the result was disappointing. I commend my boys for holding on until the very end, but we lost concentration in injury time. We got it wrong defensively, and we failed to manage our energy, which cost us dearly.”
The defeat sees Ikorodu City drop to sixth place on the NPFL standings. They will now turn their focus to their next fixture against Katsina United in Lagos as they seek to bounce back from the setback.
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.
