Rivers United climbed back to the summit of the NPFL with a 1-0 victory over Plateau United at the water-logged Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium on Sunday, the only goal coming from a moment the visitors will want to forget. Coach Gbenga Ogunbote blamed the playing surface for turning the contest into a bruising battle rather than a football match, noting that his men never adjusted to the mud-bath conditions after early rain.
The Jos club remain stuck in mid-table, four points above the drop zone with four fixtures left, while Rivers United leapfrogged rivals at the top thanks to the hard-fought win. Ogunbote, speaking in a short video on the club's X handle, admitted the better side on the day was simply the one that made fewer errors. "The game was more physical than technical, and unfortunately, we lost due to a moment of carelessness. That was practically the only real chance in the game," he said.
He singled out some of his players for being "a bit soft" when forced to fight for second balls on the churned-up turf, adding that the first-half downpour wrecked Plateau's passing rhythm. Rivers, accustomed to the patchy surface, rode out the early storm and pounced when hesitation struck the United back line.
Ogunbote has now turned his attention to the season run-in, starting with a home date against Kun Khalifat FC. "We have four games left—two at home and two away—and every one of them is crucial," he stressed, demanding a response on better pitches ahead.
Blaming the pitch is easy, but Ogunbote's admission that his players were "soft" on a heavy ground is the more damning line—Plateau United's season is sliding because they still cannot win ugly when artistry is impossible.
The NPFL's chaotic calendar often throws up mud-fests, and champions-elect are usually the sides that master those scrappy afternoons; Rivers United's comfort in the muck is exactly why they are top while Plateau flirt with relegation.
For Nigerian football, the real story is infrastructure: if a title-chasing venue turns into a quagmire after one shower, the league's broadcast value and player development will keep stalling. Super Eagles watchers should note that home-grown talents who learn to think and move properly on such surfaces rarely look out of place when they step onto firmer, faster pitches abroad.
Plateau must now bank maximum points from their remaining home games; anything less and the mathematics of the drop zone will start to feel very real.
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