Rivers United Head Coach, Finidi George, believes his team deserved more than the solitary point secured in their NPFL Matchday 14 clash against Sunshine Stars of at the Otunba Dipo Dina International Stadium Ijebu Ode on Wednesday, Completesports.com reports.
Finidi’s men took an early lead courtesy of Timothy Zacharia’s third-minute goal, one of the fastest in the 2024/2025 domestic top-flight season so far.
Reflecting on the match, the former Nigeria winger and ex-Super Eagles coach expressed frustration over his team’s inability to capitalise on their early dominance.
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“I think it was a very good game. They (Sunshine Stars) played to win, and we also played to win,” Finidi said after the feisty contest.
“In the first half, we had a couple of decent chances we should have converted. If we had scored a second goal to make it 2-0, the game would have been different. But in football, when you don’t take your chances, you get punished.
“When we scored the first goal, we tried to hold on to it,” he added.
Rivers United clung to their one-goal advantage until half-time, but Sunshine Stars levelled the score on the hour mark through Promise Awosanmi. The match ended with both teams sharing the spoils.
Commenting on the equaliser, Finidi, a UEFA Champions League winner with Ajax, was critical of his team’s defensive lapse during the free kick.
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“They got a free kick, and I think we should have defended it much better. The player got a free header, which shouldn’t have happened,” Finidi remarked. “But credit to them—they fought hard to get the equaliser.”
When asked if a draw was a fair outcome, the coach, fondly called ‘Finito,’ disagreed, insisting his side deserved all three points.
“Was a draw what we expected? No, no. I was hoping we’d score a second goal to give us an edge, even if they later scored. That could have made it 2-1 in our favour, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen,” he lamented.
By Sab Osuji
