Rivers United missed the chance to extend their lead at the top of the Nigeria Premier Football League table after a narrow defeat to Shooting Stars in Ibadan.
The Pride of Rivers lost 2–1 in the rescheduled Matchday 24 fixture at the Lekan Salami Stadium, marking their fourth defeat of the season.
Rivers United suffer setback in NPFL title race
Shooting Stars took the lead in the 34th minute through Sodiq Ibrahim. Rivers United struggled to find a response before halftime and went into the break trailing by a single goal.
The Port Harcourt side improved after the restart and eventually found their equaliser in the 68th minute through Wasiu Falolu.
Reflecting on the equalising phase of the match, the team’s head coach Finidi George kept his reaction simple.
“We all watched the game; nothing went wrong. Sometimes in the last part of the game you just have to concentrate a little bit more and see how you can deal with those long balls. We couldn’t; that last ball we couldn’t deal with it and we got punished. We’ll learn from that.”
For a brief period, the visitors looked likely to leave Ibadan with a draw. But deep into stoppage time, Qamar Adegoke struck the decisive goal for Shooting to hand Rivers a painful late defeat.
Finidi acknowledged how a single moment can change a match.
“It’s football; I’m not thinking anything. They had their free kick, and luckily for them, we couldn’t deal with it.”
“That’s football. If that ball didn’t drop, if we had dealt with the ball while in the air, that chance wouldn’t have fallen for them. But it’s football; we have to accept it and then move on.”
Finidi stays calm as Rivers United prepare for next test
Despite the loss, Rivers United remain two points clear at the top of the NPFL table and still have a game in hand over their closest rivals.
Finidi explained that picking up a point in Ibadan would have strengthened their advantage but insisted the focus now shifts to the next fixture against Ikorodu City.
“Now we just have to think about resting the players properly so that we can play the match against Ikorodu.”
With the league entering a decisive phase, the former Super Eagles boss remains measured when asked about Rivers United’s chances of winning the title.
“I don’t have to assure anybody. I can’t assure anybody anything. We all started the league together with other teams. So, if we are two points ahead at this point in time, yeah, it’s based on merit. So, we’ll continue to work with the players to see how, by the time we have eight matches left, we’ll see where we are.”
Finidi believes the squad has the experience to recover from setbacks and remain competitive.
“They are used to it. They are used to it. We have played Champions League. We lose, come back, and play league. They keep doing well. So, we just have to encourage them, let them rest properly before the Ikorodu match. So, we are quite optimistic.”