Rivers United suffered a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Nasarawa United in a crucial NPFL match at the Lafia City Stadium on Monday. The heavy defeat dealt a significant blow to their title aspirations, as they had been hoping to regain the top spot following Rangers' win over El-Kanemi Warriors on Sunday. Nasarawa United's early dominance saw them take a comfortable lead, with Ngei Oluka-Efor and Abubakar Abdullahi scoring two quick-fire goals in the early moments of the game. Chimezie Victor added the third for the hosts in the 15th minute, while Taiwo Abdulrafiu pulled a goal back for Rivers United in the 24th minute. However, JoFrank Istifanus restored Nasarawa United's three-goal lead two minutes before the hour mark.
The defeat leaves Rivers United in second position with 52 points from 31 games, while Nasarawa United move up to third position with 50 points from the same number of matches. In a separate match, Abia Warriors secured a 2-1 home victory over Niger Tornadoes, with Suraju Lawal scoring the opener after seven minutes and Casmir Azubuike doubling the advantage in the 65th minute.
Abia Warriors' Suraju Lawal was the star of the show as he scored the opener in their 2-1 win over Niger Tornadoes, but the real story is the continued struggles of Rivers United, who are now in desperate need of a turnaround in their form if they are to remain in the title race. With Nasarawa United closing in, Rivers United must regroup and find a way to stem the tide of defeats that are threatening to derail their championship ambitions.
