Finidi George has expressed disappointment after Rivers United suffered a 1-0 defeat in front of their fans to Zambian outfit Power Dynamos in Sunday’s CAF Champions League clash, SportPremi reports.
The Pride of Rivers had secured a valuable point away at Zambia last month, but suffered a defeat in the reverse fixture which has all but ended their hopes of reaching the knockout stages.
Despite dominating the match and boasting about 71 percent possession with 20 attempts, Rivers United could not break down a resilient defence, while the visitors grabbed the only goal of the match five minutes after the interval through Kondwani Chiboni.
The defeat leaves the Nigerian side bottom of Group A with a single point after four matches, while Power Dynamos are third on four points. Defending champions Pyramids have 10 points and top the group, while RS Berkane are second with seven points.
Finidi rues missed chances in defeat to Power Dynamos
Speaking after the full time result, Finidi George believes his side’s lack of attacking intent cost them in the clash as they remained without a win so far on the continent.
“I feel we started the game slowly. It was a game we wanted to win, but we were a bit passive, especially in the first half. We passed the ball too much at the back and that gave them time to organise properly”, the former Super Eagles coach revealed.
“In the second half, after we conceded the goal, we came all out to look for an equaliser. We created a lot of chances but we couldn’t score. We had opportunities to score even two or three goals, but it didn’t happen. That was quite disappointing.
One goal in four group games tells a story. In our league, top scorers sometimes finish the season with eight or ten goals after more than 30 matches. That’s very low, and when you come to the continent, you can’t expect something different”, the Rivers United coach added.
“Goal scoring is about mindset and conviction. It’s not just about training. We can’t condemn the players now because these are the same players we will use. If we do that, the season will become very difficult. We will continue to encourage them and try to improve. Most of these players have not even played in the CAF Confederation Cup before, so this is a learning process for them. If we find ourselves in this situation next season, with better recruitment and added experience, I believe the players will do better.”
On his side’s slim hopes of securing qualification for the next round
“Qualification is now very difficult, almost impossible, but all is possible in football. We want to show character and try to get a win in the last two games”, he concluded.
Rivers United host Pyramids in their next encounter on Sunday, hoping to finally get off the mark with a win that could keep alive their hopes of reaching the knockout rounds.
