2026/2027 CAF Champions League: Rivers United Pay Price for Early Collapse as San Pedro Survive Uyo Fightback

Posted : 14 September 2026

Rivers United’s hopes of reaching the next round of the CAF Champions League were undone by a disastrous opening 20 minutes as FC San Pedro secured qualification on away goals following a 2-2 draw in Uyo.

The Nigerian champions showed remarkable character to recover from two goals down and draw level in the second leg at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, but their early collapse ultimately proved too costly.

With the first leg in Côte d’Ivoire ending 1-1, Rivers United needed to protect their advantage of playing the decisive fixture at home.

Instead, FC San Pedro seized control almost immediately and stunned the Nigerian side with two goals within four minutes.

Adewimi Alabi, wearing jersey number 35, opened the scoring in the 14th minute before captain Issouf Doso struck again to give the visitors a 2-0 lead.

The setback left Rivers United with a mountain to climb, but Chijoke Mbaoma gave the hosts renewed hope shortly before the break when he converted a 42nd-minute penalty.

The spot-kick was awarded after Mbaoma was fouled inside the visitors’ penalty area, reducing the deficit to 2-1 at half-time.

Rivers United returned from the interval with greater urgency, while both technical crews made changes in an attempt to influence the contest.

The Nigerian side gradually took control as they searched for the goal that would bring the aggregate score level.

That pressure finally produced another opening in the 86th minute when FC San Pedro were penalised for a handball inside the box.

Iyowuna Douglas, wearing jersey number eight, kept his composure to convert the penalty in the 87th minute and make it 2-2 on the night.

The equaliser sparked a frantic finish as Rivers United pushed for a winning goal that would have taken them through.

FC San Pedro, however, held their defensive shape and resisted the late pressure to preserve the result and progress after the aggregate score finished 3-3.

For Rivers United assistant coach Yemi Olanrewaju, the decisive damage had been done during the opening stages.

“I think it was a difficult game. Some of our players were jittery, and you know this is the CAF Champions League,” he said.

Olanrewaju described the performance as the team’s worst outing in recent times, insisting that the early concession against a strong continental opponent left Rivers United with too much ground to recover.

“That’s our worst outing recently. We didn’t even play this badly in Côte d’Ivoire.

“When you concede early against one of the best teams in the competition, it’s difficult to recover,” he added.

The assistant coach said Rivers United effectively “lost everything in the first 20 minutes”, although he praised the team’s response after the interval.

He also defended the decision to substitute Abdurrasheed Dabai, explaining that the tactical plan had shifted towards long balls and that the player’s physical profile did not suit the approach.

“As you could see, our second penalty came from long balls,” Olanrewaju said.

He further raised concerns over the shortage of quality strikers available to NPFL clubs, arguing that better remuneration could help Nigerian teams retain top attackers who are increasingly attracted by more lucrative opportunities abroad.

FC San Pedro coach Hassen Bellil, meanwhile, praised his players for remaining disciplined and sticking to the game plan despite Rivers United’s late resurgence.

The Tunisian-born tactician, speaking through an interpreter, said he had identified several observations from the tie but declined to reveal them.

In the end, Rivers United’s comeback was enough to earn a draw on the night but not enough to save their continental campaign.

After the two sides finished 3-3 on aggregate following the 1-1 first-leg draw and the 2-2 result in Uyo, FC San Pedro advanced under the competition’s away-goals rule.

2026/2027 CAF Champions League: Rivers United Pay Price for Early Collapse as San Pedro Survive Uyo Fightback

ADD A COMMENT :

Hot Topics