Rivers United head coach, Finidi George, has acknowledged that his team was fortunate to secure a narrow 1-0 victory over Ikorodu City in their Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) match-day 30 encounter at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Port Harcourt, on Sunday.
A late strike from January signing Bolu Sholumade proved to be the difference, keeping Rivers United in the title race and narrowing the gap between them and league leaders Remo Stars to five points.
Despite dominating play, Rivers United struggled to break down a resilient Ikorodu City defense. The breakthrough finally came in the dying moments when Stephen Manyo nodded down a Temple Emekayi free-kick into Sholumade’s path, and the forward made no mistake in finishing clinically.
Speaking after the match, Finidi admitted that his team was not at their best but was relieved to take all three points.
“It was a tough one. If our first-half goal had stood, we would have had more control of the game. Some of the players were fatigued due to our recent travels to Maiduguri and Abuja,” Finidi said.
“That was a lucky win, but we will take it any day. We are happy with the victory.”
The former Super Eagles winger also praised Ikorodu City’s performance, highlighting their physicality and impressive style of play.
With just eight matches remaining in the season, Rivers United remains determined to keep the pressure on Remo Stars, hoping for a slip-up from the league leaders.
“We just have to keep pushing and piling the pressure on Remo. We’ll see how things unfold, but our focus is on winning every game,” Finidi added.
Rivers United will now turn their attention to their next fixture against regional rivals Bayelsa United, who secured a crucial point against Enyimba in Aba on Sunday.
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