Barau FC’s unbeaten run came to an end on Sunday as Rivers United secured a dramatic late win at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium.
A brilliant finish from Stephen Manyo in the 85th minute sealed the victory for the Pride of Rivers and left Barau FC reflecting on missed opportunities.
Stephen Manyo’s Late Goal Lifts Rivers United
The decisive moment came from a well-executed short corner by Wasiu Falolu, who found Issac Annor.
Annor’s clever dummy allowed him to lay the ball perfectly for Manyo, whose first-time strike beat Barau’s goalkeeper.
The stadium erupted as Manyo’s finish handed Rivers United all three points and propelled them to the top of the Nigeria Premier Football League table.
Barau FC had controlled most of the match and created several scoring opportunities, including a near two-on-one chance that could have leveled the game.
Despite the defeat, Barau’s coach, Eugene Agagbe, praised his players’ performance.
Coach Eugene Agagbe Reflects on the Result
Speaking after the match, Agagbe said:
“Well, thank God Almighty, the boys really played good football. It’s just very unfortunate that at the close end, about six minutes to go, I will call it a loss of concentration because they left an unmarked person at the edge of 18, and that caused them pain, and today they lost out three points.”
He acknowledged the team’s consistency this season:
“This is the eighth match we have gone, and so unfortunate today that we are losing the three points out of eight. So I still continue to appreciate my players for their great work they have done so far.”
Agagbe also highlighted Rivers United’s resilience:
“If you can look at it, all hope was lost by Rivers United, but at the end of the day, God was on their side, and they have their three points. So we still continue to thank God for today’s result.”
On moving forward, he stressed:
“We will continue to push on. My first priority taking over this team in the second stanza was to bring the team out of the red zone… Despite we have lost today, we still maintain 13th on the log. So we’re going home to also work hard and get our three points against Plateau United.”
The coach also defended his decision not to substitute his goalkeeper, who picked up an injury late in the game:
“A goalkeeper situation, you see, you don’t change goalkeepers anyhow. The guy has gone about seven clean sheets. … Forget about the goal he conceded. The player who put the ball in the net has something in his head. So I give kudos to the player.”
Barau FC will look to bounce back in their next league fixtures, while Rivers United aims to maintain their momentum as they travel to Bayelsa United before returning home against El-Kanemi Warriors.