Rivers United assistant coach Yemi Olanrewaju has described the club’s early collapse against FC San Pedro as one of its worst performances in recent history after the Nigerian side was eliminated from the CAF Champions League.
Rivers United entered the second leg with confidence after earning a 1-1 draw in Côte d’Ivoire, but their hopes of progressing quickly disappeared after conceding twice inside the opening 20 minutes.
Rivers United punished by two early goals
San Pedro took control of the game through goals from Adéwimi Alabi in the 14th minute and Issouf Dosso five minutes later.
The two goals left Rivers United chasing the tie and disrupted the structure that had helped them secure a strong result away from home in the first leg.
Olanrewaju admits team looked disorganised
Speaking after the match, Olanrewaju said the opening period was where Rivers United lost control of the contest.
He admitted the team looked disorganised and lacked positivity after conceding twice so early, describing the first 20 minutes as the decisive period in the tie.
Rivers United fight back before elimination
Despite the poor start, Rivers United showed character to recover.
Chukwuemeka Mbaoma converted a penalty in the 43rd minute to reduce the deficit before half-time, while Douglas Iyowuna scored another penalty five minutes from the end to make it 2-2.
San Pedro advance on away goals
The draw left the two sides level at 3-3 on aggregate, but FC San Pedro progressed on the away-goals rule after scoring twice in Uyo.
The result ended Rivers United’s CAF Champions League campaign at the first preliminary round.
Olanrewaju praises San Pedro quality
Olanrewaju acknowledged that the Ivorian side possessed both technical quality and talent, but insisted that Rivers United’s biggest problem was their own poor start.
That assessment was particularly disappointing given that Rivers United had looked well positioned to progress after their encouraging first-leg performance.
Focus shifts back to domestic competition
With their continental campaign over, Rivers United will now turn their attention to the NPFL and President Federation Cup.
The challenge for the team will be to respond quickly to the disappointment and put themselves in position to return to African competition next season.