Rivers United captain, Nwagua Nyima Nekabari, remains optimistic about his team’s chances of qualifying for the continent next season. Despite their goalless draw against Kwara United on Thursday in Ilorin, Owosports.com.ng reports.
“In Rivers United, there’s what we call character. We have this belief of always being there! Though some people tell us it’s not our birthright, but we have this belief that we can always be up there and can always make it to the continent, whichever way it comes,” Nekabari said in an interview with www.owosports.com.ng.
Reflecting on their CAF Confederation Cup exit, Nekabari expressed disappointment but pride in pushing the defending champions, USM Algers, and securing four slots for Nigeria. “We believed and we hoped for a better result than what we got. Sometimes we want it, but sometimes what we want doesn’t come! We wanted to surpass our previous record of the quarterfinal, we wanted to play in the semifinals, unfortunately, it didn’t come true for us.”
Nekabari also spoke about their 0-0 draw with Kwara United, acknowledging the difficulty of the game and the team’s determination to make up for lost points at home. “I thank God for the away point. It was a difficult game because we played against a side that are not comfortable on the log, just the same way we are also. For us, it was more of a determined fight because they came to our home and ran away with a point, so we came with the mindset of getting the three points, but we couldn’t, and we got one.”
With a congested fixture schedule ahead, Nekabari emphasized the importance of managing the squad and keeping everyone focused. “We are taking each game as it comes. We can’t complain; we just have to play. We are also trying to manage the squad, trying to keep everybody in a very soft mood where the whole fatigue and all will not set in.”
Despite a loss to Remo Stars FC in one of their rescheduled fixtures and draw with Kwara United, Nekabari remains positive, shifting the team’s focus to their next game against Sunshine Stars in Akure. “The loss to Remo Stars FC wasn’t a good one because we were ahead in the game, and a little loss of concentration, and we lost it. So we didn’t want that record to go, but sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose! But we’ve moved past that, and the focus now shifts to Akure, where we would be playing Sunshine Stars.”
