Abia Warriors dents Rivers pride in rescheduled NPFL clash

Abia Warriors defeated Rivers United 2-0 in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) rescheduled Matchday 29 fixture at the Umuahia Township Stadium on Wednesday.

Having failed to win any of their last nine matches against Rivers, the Pride of Abia courtesy of second-half goals from Samson Obi and Meme Okike emphatically broke the run to leapfrog their opponent into the 10th position.

Coming from a narrow loss to Sunshine Stars on Saturday, Rivers approached this fixture aiming to get their first victory in their rescheduled clashes, but couldn’t keep up with the pressure beyond the first half.

The opening 45 minutes was a cagey affair between both sides, as both teams registered six shots each, although Rivers had two on target, as opposed to Abia Warriors’ one.

However, about twenty minutes into the second half, the Erasmus Onu’s tutored side broke the deadlock when their forwards combined to unlock Rivers’ defence.

Paschal Nwabueze after beating his marker, laid off the ball for Sunday Megwo who passed it onto Obi. The ex-Enyimba star consequently rounded the goalkeeper to give the home team the lead.

It appeared as though Obi’s 64th-minute strike would be the difference at the Umuahia Township Stadium, but substitute Okike doubled the hosts’ lead a few seconds away from the final whistle.

The loss means 12th-placed Rivers are now winless in their last five matches (one draw, four losses)—a run unseen since 2021 when they embarked on a four-match losing streak.

The Port Harcourt-based side’s last outstanding match will be against Niger Tornadoes at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium on Saturday, April 18.