Finidi George reacts as Rivers United swap 1–0 struggles for flood of goals

March 10, 2026 Chichetam

Rivers United continued their impressive run in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) with a dominant 3–1 victory over Bendel Insurance.

Playing at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, the Pride of Rivers proved why they currently sit at the top of the table.

Rivers United Find Scoring Rhythm in South-South Derby

After a tight first half, the hosts unleashed a scoring spree that secured back-to-back home wins with a three-goal margin, signalling a shift from their previous narrow victories.

The match remained deadlocked until the 53rd minute when Chijioke Mbaoma headed home a corner from Iyowuna Douglas.

The lead was doubled in the 81st minute by Wisdom Samuel, who once again benefitted from a Douglas assist.

Although Bendel Insurance pulled one back in the 89th minute, substitute Samson Obi reacted quickly to a rebound off the woodwork just a minute later to seal the 3–1 win.

Wisdom Samuel celebrating his goal for Rivers United against Bendel Insurance.

Reflecting on the performance, head coach Finidi George noted:

“It’s a very good game for us. We knew Bendel Insurance had been very, very good away from home. We knew it was going to be tough, but we told the boys to keep pushing. In the first half, I think we had one or two chances to have scored.

It didn’t happen. We tried to calm them down in the second half. Let them continue keeping the ball, and definitely the chances will come. In the second half, I think the chances kept coming, and we kept scoring.”

Technical Consistency Behind the Pride of Rivers’ Success

For a team previously known for grinding out 1–0 results, scoring three goals in two consecutive matches suggests a major tactical shift.

However, Finidi insists the process remains the same. The NPFL leaders are simply finding the clinical edge that was missing earlier in the season.

The coach credited the players’ growing confidence and a bit of fortune for the recent flood of goals.

Addressing the change in scoring form, Finidi explained:

“I think the players believe that they can really score. For us as coaches, we have not changed our method of coaching; we do all our scoring drills. It has not worked for us till the last match. We’re quite happy that we’re having the chances and we’re scoring.

Nothing has changed. The work ethic is the same. It’s just that now we’re much luckier and scoring goals. That makes a difference.”

Despite the celebration, the match had moments of tension. Finidi admitted to being frustrated when his team invited pressure late in the game, leading to the visitors’ lone goal.

“I felt at one point we were a little bit sloppy. Then the pressure was coming. I felt at that point we shouldn’t build, trying to build when there is pressure.

We tried to make that correction, and they kept doing it. I was angry, and that led to that build-up towards their goal. It was like we were inviting them to pile pressure on us, which I didn’t like.

Wisdom Samuel of Rivers United speaking about his back-to-back goals.

So I was angry with some of the players, but that’s a normal thing. We move on. It’s part of the stuff you have in the field of play, and after the game we talk in the dressing room, and everything is sorted.”

With four away matches on the horizon, including trips to Shooting Stars and Ikorodu City, Rivers United will look to maintain this momentum.

“It’s a happy day for us, but it’s just a match. We’ll continue to take a game at a time. Now we’re going away from home. We’re going to play four matches, so we’ll see what happens.”