Rivers United Secure First Win of the Season with 3-1 Thrashing of Heartland
Rivers United claimed their first victory of the season in style, defeating Heartland 3-1 at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Port Harcourt. The win marked a turning point for Finidi George’s side, while Heartland, under the guidance of former Super Eagles winger Emmanuel Amuneke, remained winless.
Also Read: Rivers United Draws Bendel Insurance
Kabir Abdullahi stole the show with a brilliant brace, while new signing Taofeek Otaniyi also found the back of the net. Christian Molokwu scored Heartland’s lone goal, but it was not enough to prevent his team’s second consecutive defeat.
Finidi George expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance, saying, “It was a good game. We started with a high tempo, and although the pace dropped after scoring, we regained control in the second half.” He praised his team’s tactical and technical improvements, noting, “The team is practically new, but the players are responding well to our training.”
Rivers United will look to build on this momentum in their upcoming matches, while Heartland will aim to bounce back from their disappointing start. With Emmanuel Amuneke at the helm, Heartland will seek to turn their fortunes around and secure their first win of the season.
The Club Official Match report read:
A spirited team performance ensured we continued our impressive start to the 2024/2025 Nigeria Premier Football League campaign, with a win in our first home game. We were good value for the three points, despite falling to an equalizer just before the first-half stoppage time.
However, we were soon rewarded for our aggression and positivity with two goals after the interval. First, Kabir Abdullahi finished well when he wonderfully turned his marker to slot past the goalkeeper. Then, he fired home again from a spectacular free kick two minutes into stoppage time to seal maximum points.
The victory means we remain unbeaten after two games, following our draw against Bendel Insurance on matchday one.
What Our Technical Manager Finidi George Said After the Match:
“It was a good game. We started with a high tempo; after that goal, the tempo dropped, and they started playing as well. Unfortunately, they got that goal. We were a little bit furious about it because we would have dealt with that ball a little bit better, but it didn’t happen.
“We had to go into the second half to try and ginger the boys so they could come into the second half and put up that fight. I think the second half was just for us, apart from one or two bits they had. I think we controlled the game and created a lot of chances to score more goals. But overall, we deserved to win today.”
What’s Next:
Our next game is away to Lobi Stars on Saturday, September 21, at the Lafia City Stadium in Nasarawa State.
We’re back in action at the Adokiye Amiesimaka on Sunday, September 29, taking on Enyimba FC.
Charles Mayaku the media officer of Rivers United concluded the report
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