Rivers United continued their dominant preseason form ahead of the 2026/27 campaign, securing a tight 1-0 victory against Nigeria Premier Football League rivals Abia Warriors at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium on Saturday morning.
The victory completed a swift sweep over the Umuahia side, coming just four days after a convincing 2-0 win in Aba.
The game broke open seven minutes into the second half when a slick movement down the left wing dismantled the visitors’ defense.
The ball fell perfectly for midfielder Blessed Iyamu, who calmly slotted his finish into the bottom-right corner from near the penalty spot.
Despite controlling the pace, Rivers United struggled to put the game out of reach, missing several high-quality scoring opportunities:
Chijioke Mbaoma was played through on goal by Ochobi Elias but lost control with a poor first touch, before later wasting two one-on-one scenarios in quick succession.
Wasiu Falolu failed to generate power on a promising counterattack set up by Alex Oyowah, leaving the Abia Warriors goalkeeper with an easy save.
The misses almost proved costly late in the game when Abia Warriors earned a penalty. However, goalkeeper Ifeanyi Nchekwube guessed correctly to deny the spot-kick, with the defense quickly clearing the rebound to secure the clean sheet.
Despite making it two wins from two against their top-flight rivals, head coach Finidi George was far from satisfied with his team’s composure and game management.
He described conceding a penalty as shameful, stressing that it should never have happened.
He noted that they were capable of scoring more than seven goals in such matches and insisted they are a winning side.
He urged his players to fight to win the ball back whenever they lost possession, warning that such lapses must not be repeated.
Rivers United now turn their attention to another major preseason test when they host Enyimba at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium on Tuesday.