Finidi Admits Rivers United’s CAF Champions League Hopes Are All but Over After Power Dynamos Defeat

Rivers United Technical Manager Finidi George has conceded that his side’s chances of qualifying for the knockout stage of the 2025/2026 CAF Champions League are now almost impossible following their 1–0 defeat to Power Dynamos on Sunday, Nigeriasoccernet.com reports.

The Matchday Four Group A encounter was played at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, where the Zambian visitors deepened the Pride of Rivers’ struggles in the competition.

A goal from Kondwani Chiboni five minutes into the second half proved decisive, condemning Rivers United to their third defeat in four group matches, with just one draw to show for their efforts so far. The result leaves the Nigerian champions without a win in Group A and firmly rooted at the bottom of the standings.

Speaking after the game, Finidi admitted that progression to the next round is now highly unlikely, but stressed that his team will still fight for pride in their remaining fixtures against Pyramids FC of Egypt and RS Berkane of Morocco.

“We definitely want to get our first victory in the competition. We know that we are going to play against the two top teams in the group — Pyramids of Egypt and RS Berkane of Morocco — in the last two games,” Finidi said.

“But all is possible in football, even though qualification for the knockout stage is very difficult — almost impossible. We still want to show character and at least get a win in the last two games.”

The former Super Eagles winger expressed disappointment with his side’s approach, particularly their slow start, which he felt played a major role in the defeat.

“I feel we started the game slowly — a game we were supposed to win. We were passing the ball too much at the back, and that gave them more time to organise properly,” he explained.

Despite dominating large spells after conceding, Rivers United failed to make their pressure count.

“After they scored, we came all out to try to get an equaliser. We created a lot of chances, but we couldn’t convert any of them,” Finidi said.

“In the second half, I thought we had a couple of chances to score two or three goals, but it didn’t happen. That’s football for you.”

Finidi praised Power Dynamos for their defensive resilience and acknowledged the fine margins that decided the game.

“I have to congratulate Power Dynamos for how they defended and for the lucky goal they scored. We conceded from just a pull-out — it’s unfortunate, but it’s part of football,” he added.

The former Enyimba coach was careful not to place blame on his players, instead pointing to inexperience at the continental level as a key factor behind their struggles.

“In a game like this, you have to be very aggressive in the first 20 minutes, and I felt we were a bit passive,” he said.

“For most of the players we have now, this is a learning process. If you take out two or three players from the squad, none of the rest has even played in the CAF competitions before.”

Finidi remains hopeful that the experience gained this season will prove valuable in the future.

“They will learn from this. If we find ourselves in this situation next season, I believe the players will do better. But for now, it’s quite unfortunate,” he concluded.