Rivers United Football Club of Port Harcourt on Wednesday in Enugu thrashed Akwa United Football Club of Uyo 3-0 in a Round of 32 fixture of the NFF/Aiteo Cup.
Rivers United took the lead in the seventh minute through Kehinde Adedipe, while Bright Onyedikachi made it 2-0 in the 54th minute.
Ossy Martins sealed the victory for Rivers United in the 74th minute of the match played at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium.
The Port Harcourt side could have even increased the tally, but they missed lots of chances just as goalkeeper Ojo Olorunleke made superlative saves to keep the scoreline respectable.
Speaking after the match, Rivers United’s coach Stanley Eguma noted that the two teams played to his satisfaction.
He said: “Though we have won with three goals, but Akwa United still remained a threat any day any time. It was just that our tactics worked for us.’’
Eguma noted that the clubs were now suffering the after-effects of the 2018/2019 Nigeria Professional Football League.
He said competition in the league was too tight and the top clubs were now weary and paying dearly for it in the Aiteo Cup competition.
The coach said: “I may say that Akwa United lost 0-3 because of fatigue. However, it is also a fact that all the teams registered up to 35 players, and have lots of players to choose from.”
Eguma however expressed his delight with the fact that his team had started scoring goals, having scored seven goals in two matches in recent days.
He said: “We won our Round of 64 match 4-0 and here today we won 3-0. So, our strikers have started doing the needful.
“I pray that such will continue, so that we can get something positive from this competition.”
