Doma United forced Rivers United to a 1-1 draw on Saturday in a Matchday 19 fixture of the Nigeria Premier Football League at the Pantami Stadium in Gombe.
Rivers United began the game on an impressive note and with a lot of intensity as they comfortably sat deep and executed swift counter-attacks, as the hosts struggled to to break down Rivers’ compact defense.
Doma United got the first real opportunity early in the game after Abiam Nelson attempted a volley with his weaker left foot, which sailed wide.
The Pride of Rivers thought they had the lead in the 43rd minute of the match as Alex Oyowah finds the back of the net but the goal was disallowed as the assistant referee insisted the ball went out of play in the build up to the goal.
The breakthrough for coach Stanley Eguma’s side came in the 4th added minute of the first half. Doma’s Sani Suleiman lost possession inside the visitors half, leading to a swift counter. Bernard Kouassi capitalized, driving in to give Rivers United a 1-0 lead.
From the start of the second half, Doma United launched several attacks on Rivers United’s defense. Samuel Enefiok’s brilliant shot tested Rivers goalkeeper, but it was saved. Saifullahi’s right-footed effort from a tight angle was pushed out for a corner kick.
Later on, substitute Usman Musa came close to equalizing with a powerful header that struck the crossbar.
Doma United continued to mount pressure, and their efforts finally paid off in the 94th minute. Nelson Abiam executed an outrageous bicycle kick, beating the goalkeeper and leveling the scores right before the final whistle, which sent the Pantami crowd into wild jubilation.
The draw leaves the Savannah Tigers 3rd on the log, with 32 points; while the Pride of Rivers moved up to 14th in the table, with 21 points and with four matches in hand.
Leave a Reply