Rivers United assistant coach Yemi Olanrewaju has described his side's capitulation in the opening 20 minutes of Sunday's CAF Champions League first preliminary round return leg as the club's worst performance in recent memory.

The Pride of Rivers had travelled to Ivory Coast last week and secured a creditable 1-1 draw in the first leg against FC San Pedro, leaving the tie delicately balanced ahead of the home fixture at Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo.

Two early goals prove fatal

Any optimism evaporated rapidly once the return leg began. Adéwimi Alabi struck in the 14th minute and Issouf Dosso added a second just five minutes later, leaving Rivers United shell-shocked and facing an uphill battle inside their own ground.

The Nigerians rallied before the interval. Chukwuemeka Mbaoma converted a penalty in the 43rd minute to halve the deficit, and Douglas Iyowuna levelled from the spot with five minutes remaining in regulation time to make it 2-2 on the night.

That scoreline was not enough, however. With the aggregate score level at 3-3, FC San Pedro advanced on the away goals rule, ending Rivers United's participation in the 2026/2027 CAF Champions League at the first hurdle.

Olanrewaju laments disorganised display

Olanrewaju addressed the post-match press conference in place of Technical Manager Finidi George, and was candid about the damage inflicted by those two early concessions.