Rivers United made a solid start to their CAF Champions League campaign after battling hosts San Pedro to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their first preliminary round tie at the Laurent Pokou Stadium, Côte d’Ivoire on Saturday.
The Pride of Rivers showed resilience throughout an entertaining encounter, securing a valuable away result that leaves the tie finely poised ahead of the return fixture.
Both teams came out with attacking intent and created several promising opportunities in the opening 45 minutes. However, neither side could find the finishing touch as the game remained goalless at the break.
San Pedro eventually broke the deadlock 11 minutes into the second half when Issouf Dosso capitalised on an opening in the Rivers United defence to put the hosts in front.
Rather than allowing the setback to unsettle them, Rivers United responded with determination and stepped up their attacking efforts.
Their persistence paid off in the 69th minute when substitute Iyowuna Douglas restored parity for Finidi George’s men. Douglas displayed excellent composure inside the penalty area before calmly slotting the ball home to make it 1-1.
With momentum shifting in their favour, Rivers United remained organised and disciplined during the closing stages, successfully keeping San Pedro at bay to earn an important away draw.
The result gives the Nigerian side a strong platform heading into the decisive second leg, where they will have home advantage.
The return fixture is scheduled to take place at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo next Sunday. Rivers United will know that victory in front of their home supporters would be enough to send them through to the next round of the CAF Champions League.
