NWFL Super Six: Rivers Angels coach Blankson says sorry to Rivers people, insists team played well
The South-South derby at the NWFL Super Six playoffs delivered high drama but ultimate heartbreak for Rivers Angels, as arch-rivals Edo Queens secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory.
Precious Oscar capitalised on a defensive error in the 39th minute to put Edo Queens ahead.
Rivers Angels Coach Blankson Reacts to Super Six Defeat
Though second-half substitute Abasiofon Uwah leveled the score for the Angels with a swift counter-attack finish, a late goalkeeping mistake allowed Chioma Moses to pounce and net the winner.
The painful defeat marks a third straight loss for Rivers Angels, officially ending their title hopes.
Following the crushing blow, coach Tosan Blankson did not hide his frustration regarding the final outcome, though he fiercely defended his players’ efforts.
“We have another disappointing day today. Not disappointing in performance, but disappointing in result. Today again, the girls gave everything. Every day we keep on saying they gave everything; they gave everything.
All the fans are interested in is the result. The result is not coming. At the end of the day, we did not play well. That is the bone of contention now because we did not win. But we are very, very sorry. We want to say sorry to the fans for not delivering. For not delivering. We have failed our fans again.”
When questioned about the numerous tactical tweaks made during the derby that ultimately failed to rescue a point, Blankson pointed to the cruel, unforgiving nature of football errors.
“That is football for you. You saw the impact. One little mistake, goal. One little mistake, goal. I won’t say anything, but definitely something is wrong.”
Blankson Defends Rivers Angels Attack Despite Missing Title Hopes
While the loss completely derails their campaign—leaving them with just a single Matchday 1 victory over FC Robo Queens—Blankson firmly rejected the narrative that his team lacked a competitive edge or tactical direction.
When asked if his side failed woefully, he drew a sharp line between execution and outcomes.
“We failed in not getting the result, but in performance level, we did well.”
Confronted with observations that his frontline was flat, the Rivers Angels tactician strongly disagreed, shifting the blame entirely away from chance creation to poor finishing in the final third.
“No team has gotten more chances than our team in this competition. If you say my attack wasn’t creating chances, I disagree. The chances we have created in this competition are more than any other team that has created any chance. The only thing is that we are not converting.”
Looking back at a Super Six campaign that promised so much but slipped away, Blankson offered a sobering perspective on the harsh realities of the beautiful game.
“The lesson is that it’s not how you play sometimes you get the result. You may play very, very well. You may not get the result. You take football the way you’ve seen it. You either win, you draw, or you lose.”
Meanwhile, the victory catapults coach Moses Aduku’s Edo Queens to the top of the table with nine points as they head into a decisive clash with Bayelsa Queens.
