Rivers United’s inability to turn their dominance into victory against Rangers International left technical manager Finidi George frustrated, but his post-match assessment of the defending champions suggested there was more to his disappointment than the dropped points.
The two sides shared a 1-1 draw at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Port Harcourt on Sunday, a result that kept Rivers at the top of the Euromatch-NPFL table but ended two notable home sequences against their Enugu opponents.
Chijioke Mbaoma put the hosts ahead in the 18th minute before Godwin Obaje restored parity for Rangers nine minutes into the second half. Rangers were subsequently reduced to 10 men when Obaje was sent off in the 71st minute, but held on to secure a point.
Finidi George is clear the result did not reflect what he believed was the balance of play.
“They didn’t play like champions. I have to be honest with you,” he told the media after the game.
The Rivers manager insisted his team had done enough to win, pointing to the opportunities created in both halves and the failure to make them count.
“I think if you look at the game, with the number of chances we had, if we had taken those ones, we wouldn’t have been saying they are defending champions. But that’s the reality of the game.
“I think we controlled the game properly, created a lot of chances in the first half and the second half.”
Finidi acknowledged that his players had to take responsibility for their lack of clinical finishing, particularly after allowing Rangers to punish them with one of their opportunities.
“But games like this, when you have chances, you have to take them. You don’t have situations like this where they have one and they got that opportunity and they scored,” he said.
“We were on the better side at the end of the day.”
Yet the Rivers manager’s strongest criticism was reserved for the way he felt Rangers approached the contest, particularly after taking their point with a numerical disadvantage.
Finidi questioned the defending champions’ willingness to play for victory, accusing them of slowing the game down and repeatedly going to ground.
“But like he said, a champion shouldn’t come here and be wasting time. You play to win. That is what I feel,” he said.
“For me, I go everywhere and play to win. If you are a defending champion, you come here and you let your team keep up, be wasting time, be falling down as if they were not fit. We have to question that.”
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He also warned that Rivers would not necessarily show restraint if the circumstances were reversed when the teams meet again.
“They have gotten the draw, let them not complain when we do the same in the group. The time we wasted was just out of the way. But they have gotten their one point.
“They should be happy they got that one point.”
The draw was particularly significant because it ended Rivers United’s remarkable record of winning all 10 previous corresponding league meetings against Rangers in Port Harcourt since the club adopted its current name after previously competing as Dolphins.
Rangers’ last league victory at the venue had come in 2003, when they won 1-0. Sunday’s result also ended Rivers’ home cleansheet run in the current campaign, with Obaje’s equaliser the first goal they had conceded at home this season.
The outcome followed Rivers’ 2-1 defeat at Bendel Insurance the previous weekend, which brought their nine-match unbeaten start to the league campaign to an end. Finidi had then pointed to poor decision making in possession and a collective defensive lapse as factors behind that loss.
Sunday’s draw means the league leaders have now dropped points in successive matches, although they remain top on 18 points from 11 games. Rangers, also on 18 points, occupy second place after playing two matches fewer.
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Finidi was nevertheless keen to move beyond the disappointment and turn his attention to the response required from his players.
“We have to get back, get the players to recover because this one is gone. You can’t cry over spilled milk,” he said.
“We have to bounce back, go out and see how we can win as well. We have lost four points here, we have to get those four points back. That is just it.”
Rivers must now find a way to recover the points surrendered in Port Harcourt as the title race develops. Their next challenge is to turn the frustration of consecutive setbacks into a response on the pitch.
