Defending champions Remo Stars were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw in their opening fixture of the 2025/2026 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season, after Rivers United stood firm under the lights of the MKO Abiola Sports Arena in Abeokuta on Friday evening.
The Sky Blue Stars, playing away from their Ikenne base due to ongoing renovations, were stunned inside three minutes when former player Aniekeme Okon rose highest to head United into an early lead. Remo, however, wasted no time in replying as Victor Mbaoma, on his third spell with the club, struck in the ninth minute to restore parity. His night ended on a sour note as injury forced him off later in the match, leaving Daniel Ogunmodede’s men with more than just a point to ponder.
For Rivers United boss, Finidi George, the game lived up to its billing as a rugged, opening-day battle.
“It was a good game. I felt it was a good boost. In the first half, there were a couple of moments,” Finidi said afterwards.
“The game was too rough. We had two yellow cards, which limited us in pushing forward. But I would say it was a 50-50 encounter. If you look at the overall chances or half-chances that were created, it came from us.
Read also: NPFL 2025/2026 season kicks off with Remo Stars vs Rivers United clash
“We are quite happy. It’s always going to be a difficult one coming here, playing away against Remo. But on the road, having that one point is really great. It motivates us for the next game.”
Despite being satisfied with the draw, the former Enyimba boss rued his side’s lack of composure in attack.
“In some moments of the game, we had some penetrative passes which I feel my players should have been a little bit calmer in picking out themselves. But we were too much in a hurry and we shoot without hitting the target.
“That would have made a difference. In a game like this, you don’t have a lot of chances. The few or half chances that you get, you try to take them. But it didn’t happen for us today. Overall, we are quite happy with that one point.”
Finidi admitted that while his side arrived in Abeokuta seeking victory, they were realistic about the challenge of facing the champions in front of their home crowd.
“When you come to a game like this, you want to get the maximum of your points. But we also know that Remo is playing at home. They are the defending champions. We knew it was not going to be easy.
“But we gave them a hard fight. At the end of the day, one costly mistake gave them that goal. That’s football, we have to learn from it. We still have time for the second game.”
