Rivers United’s Eguma Faces Goalkeeping “Headache”

Technical manager of Rivers United, Stanley Eguma must make a decision about his choice of goalkeeping personnel ahead of Saturday’s Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) clash with Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) in Ibadan.

Sunday Rotimi started United’s first five games this season but was overlooked for the match day six defeat to Niger Tornadoes in Lokoja.

Godwin Anyalogu, Rotimi’s replacement in Lokoja, impressed, despite conceding three goals and Eguma admits he has a decision to make as regards who starts in goal for United in Saturday’s contest against the ‘Oluyole Warriors’.

“It will be a difficult decision to make (as regards who plays against Shooting Stars) but I will wait till the last moment.

“It is a headache but a good one. Rotimi is excellent but I was also impressed with Anyalogu’s performance against Tornadoes.

“There is also (former Sharks goalkeeper) Henry Ayodele who has not played so far this season and he is one of the best goal keepers I have worked with.

Rivers United Coach Stanley Eguma

“I will decide who plays (in Ibadan) on Saturday,” Eguma told RIVERS UNITED MEDIA.

Eguma also discussed his side’s failure to come up with the goods on their travels thus far despite emerging as the NPFL’s best goals scorers on the road this season.

He admitted that ‘mistakes’ have been made in previous games but insists that those errors have been corrected ahead of Saturday’s big game.

“The game against 3SC is a big one and we know that they have been doing well this season.

“We hope we can correct our mistakes (from previous matches) as we go to Ibadan.

“We will map out our strategies as we go to Ibadan for the game and ensure that we do not return empty-handed,” he said.

Meanwhile, goalkeeper, Anyalogu is still “angry” following his side’s failure to pick up any points from the match day six fixture against Torndoes in Lokoja.

The goalkeeper who conceded three goals in the fixture says United are “too strong to be losing this many games” this season.

“I am still angry that we lost in Lokoja (to Tornadoes). It was a very complicated game.

“We were the better side in the first half and had two very good chances to score. Unfortunately, we allowed them to score with the last kick of the half.

“It’s strange that despite scoring in all our matches this season, we have not managed to get a single point away from home this season.

“We are too strong to be losing this many games and now we must correct it when we face Shooting Stars on Saturday,” he said.

Anyalogu also discussed the relationship he enjoys with the club’s other goalkeepers, revealing that the camaraderie amongst them is something to be admired.

“There is no jealousy. After matches, we all sit together to critique the performance of whoever plays.

“It’s a good thing because the atmosphere is positive,” he said.

Rivers United’s Sunday Rotimi and Henry Ayodele.

He rounded off by admitting that he would have no problems if he’s dropped to the bench for Saturday’s game.

“Have I done enough to start on Saturday? I think that is a decision for the coach but I will have no problems if (Sunday) Rotimi starts ahead of me.

“What is important to me is for the team to get at least a point in Ibadan.

“Losing two straight games will affect our position on the table so we must do our best,” he said.

Saturday’s game between 3SC and Rivers United kicks off at 4:15pm (5:15 CAT) and is live on SuperSport.

NPFL MATCH DAY 6 : Tornadoes subdue Rivers United in thriller

A late fight back from Rivers United fail to yield dividends as Nigeria Tornadoes prevailed by the odd goal in five in a tempestuous but hugely-entertaining Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) contest decided at the Lokoja Stadium on Sunday.

The big news from the United camp before kick off was the demotion to the bench, of former Super Eagles goal keeper, Sunday Rotimi with Godwin Anyalogu preferred in his place.

In Rotimi’s absence, United conceded three, for the first time this season but Anyalogu was not culpable for any.

In a first half that ebbed and flowed, both sides traded goal scoring chances with the hosts finally taking the lead in the third minute of stoppage time.

United defender, Gabriel Olalekan, who had proved to be his side’s best player of the half, inexplicably attempted a bicycle kick at the edge of his own half but inadvertently caught Ammeh Wilfred in the face.

Olalekan’s carelessness was to cost United as Ismaila Gata stepped up and curled home a beauty from 25 yards past a diving Anyalogu with what proved to be the last kick of a brilliant half of football.

The goal on the stroke of half time was a psychological blow which the United players failed to recover from as the luckless Olalekan diverted Gabriel Wassa’s long range effort past a stranded Anyalogu in the 58th minute for the hosts’ second goal.

Two-nil quickly became three-nil and remarkably, Olalekan was again at fault.

The former Sharks man mistimed a defensive header and Jackson Daniel smacked home at the second time of asking despite Anyalogu’s best efforts to keep out the strike.

The United trainer, Eguma responded by throwing in attacking substitutions which delivered rich and dramatic late rewards.

Daniel Israel and Guy Kuemian were thrown into the fray and they repaid their trainers’ faith with late goals that threw the cat among the pigeons among the Tornadoes faithful.

It proved to be too little, too late though an Ayobami Asekunowo expulsion, at the death, for a second bookable offence saw United’s late fight back end in yet another away defeat.

Tornadoes’ assistant coach, Bala Mohammed blamed ‘tactical mistakes’ for his side’s near capitulation of monumental proportions late on in the contest.

“We had some minor tactical errors especially from the action of our players when they lost the ball.

“After we got the third goal, our player got carried away; most of them.

“They only played when they had the ball and stopped playing when they did not.

Rivers United

“Rivers United then began dominating the midfield with four midfielders playing against our three and that was how they got their goals within a five-minute period,” Mohammed told RIVERS UNITED MEDIA.

On his part, the United technical manager, Stanley Eguma said he will try to ‘correct mistakes’ from their next league fixture.

“We started quite well but we conceded that goal from a free kick at the stroke of half time.

“In the second half, we conceded two quick goals as my players lost their heads.

“The good thing was the fight back but we will try to correct our mistakes from our next match,” Eguma said.

Overall, the game was a brilliant advert for Nigerian football with Tornadoes moving up four places up the standings to 11th place with seven points from six matches while United dropped two places and now occupy seventh place with nine points from six matches