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RMA
AFCON 2025
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From soaring highs to grounded reality: Was Finidi George's Rivers United side still mentally celebrating their historic CAF Champions League qualification when they dropped crucial points against Ikorodu City?
Former Super Eagles coach Finidi George and his Rivers United team are learning a hard lesson about managing momentum, as the emotional hangover from their recent CAF Champions League group stage qualification appears to have contributed to a costly NPFL home draw.
Just days after securing a historic continental milestone, the Pride of Rivers were held 0-0 by the tactically disciplined Ikorodu City Football Club on Wednesday, leaving fans wondering if their focus was still on the celebration.
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11:49 - 21.09.2025
Finidi’s fortress! Ex-Super Eagles boss makes it four straight clean sheets after CAFCL draw
Ex-Super Eagles coach Finidi George has built Rivers United into a defensive behemoth after recording his fourth straight clean sheet across competitions after a hard-fought draw in the CAF Champions League.
This result leaves United with only two points from the last nine available in the league, a worrying dip that contrasts sharply with their continental form. The celebratory mood that followed the CAF achievement may have blunted the necessary edge required for domestic grind.
Ikorodu City's Reality Check
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Ikorodu City, affectionately known as the 'Oga Boys,' arrived in Port Harcourt with a singular focus: defensive solidity.
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They successfully leveraged their opponent's potential mental fatigue, relying on goalkeeper Michael Atata's league-leading six clean sheets to frustrate the home side.
The visitors absorbed pressure masterfully, especially in the final minutes when Atata pulled off a crucial point-blank save to deny United.
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Ikorodu City Technical Adviser, Bright Ozebagbe, highlighted his team's focus. “We needed to stay focused, we brought in a defender to lock up the middle.”
“We knew they'd throw a lot of balls into the box,” Ozebagbe added, indicating they had anticipated and successfully exploited a potentially sluggish United attack.
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Prioritising the Next Battle
While the CAF qualification is a massive achievement for Finidi and United, the draw serves as a stark reminder of the demands of the NPFL, where the Pride now sit ninth on the table.
Dropped home points are difficult to recover, and Finidi now faces a crucial task: managing his squad’s psychological transition from celebratory highs back to competitive reality.
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The club must quickly shift from basking in continental glory to ensuring domestic consistency, where they have drawn two, lost one of the last three games, and scored just one goal.