Rivers United technical adviser Finidi George believes his team will have the advantage when they face San Pedro in Nigeria after securing a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their CAF Champions League first preliminary round tie.
The Port Harcourt club held the Ivorian side at the Laurent Pokou Stadium on Sunday, recovering from a first-half deficit to take a positive result into the return fixture.
San Pedro took the lead four minutes before half-time when Issouf Dosso headed home at the end of a swift counter-attacking move. Rivers United improved after the interval, and substitute Iyowuna Douglas brought them level in the 69th minute.
Finidi had made avoiding defeat one of Rivers United’s main objectives before the match and was pleased that his players achieved that target away from home.
“I said it yesterday that we wanted to have a good game and not lose here. It could have been 0-0 or 1-1, and the game ended 1-1. So, not losing here is not a bad result. It’s good,” Finidi said.
The former Super Eagles head coach felt the opening half had produced few clear chances, with neither side able to establish control. He said Rivers United changed their approach after San Pedro went ahead and introduced more energy into their play.
“If you look at the game, in the first half, there was not much created by both teams. The game was a bit balanced, but in the second half, after they scored, we tried to bring some new energy into the team.
“I think after we got the equaliser, we dropped too deep towards the end. But in Nigeria, it is going to be a different ball game. We are going to approach the game differently.”
The first meeting also allowed Rivers United to study San Pedro’s qualities before the decisive second leg. Finidi praised the Ivorian team’s youthful profile and intensity, while suggesting his own side would be better placed on home soil.
San Pedro’s ability to play with energy made them a difficult opponent, although Rivers United were encouraged by the way the match remained closely contested.
“We tried to see what they were doing and assess their capacity. Like I said, the game was balanced. But we knew they were a very good team, a young team full of energy, so we knew it was going to be a difficult game,” he added.
Rivers United will now prepare for the return leg in Nigeria, where they will try to secure progress to the next round of the CAF Champions League. Finidi expects a different contest in front of their home supporters and believes the balance of power will shift in his side’s favour.
“But if we could get a good result by not losing here, I think my team will play differently in Nigeria. So, I would say it is going to be 60-40 in our favour in Nigeria.”
The Port Harcourt club must now turn that perceived advantage into a winning performance in the second leg to finish the tie and continue their campaign in the competition.