By JOE APU
Nigerian football legend, Adokiye Amiesimaka has warned Rivers United not to be carried away by the home 2-0 victory they recorded against Rwandan side Rayonsports last weekend in the CAF Confederation Cup play off.
Amiesimaka told Supersports that Rivers United must be at their best to survive the second leg in Kigali.
Amiesimaka, a member of Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) winning squad of 1980, said Rivers United must avoid what happened to them in Sudan in the CAF Champions League preliminaries.
It is recalled that Rivers United had after beating El- Merriekh 3-0 in Port- Harcourt went away to lose by 4-0, a situation that saw them being relegated to the CAF Confederation Cup.
“First, I want to say congratulations to Rivers United FC of Nigeria for an encouraging performance (on Sunday),” Amiesimaka told supersport.com.
“A 2-0 (result) is as good a scoreline as any. Only 1-0 may turn out to be safe, just as 4-0 may not be safe.
“In this game, any margin is as safe or precarious as you make it.
“It is possible to lose at home, but win away. It is possible to win at home and also win away.
“It is possible to win at home, but lose away. It is possible to lose, home and away.
“Each instance has happened before. Any result is possible. To win is simply to make sure you score more goals than you concede,” he said.
The ex-international then urged the Rivers United team to press home their advantage in the return leg by playing to their strengths while ensuring their underbelly is not exposed.
“Know your strengths and build on them. Know your weaknesses and strive to prevent your opponents from capitalising on them.
“In like manner, know your opponents’ strengths and strive to neutralise them, just as you should identify their weaknesses and work to capitalise on them.
“That is what the game is, a contest of wits, whether home or away and as long as refereeing is fair, it shouldn’t make much difference to any solid team with the right attitude whether it is playing home or away,” Amiesimaka concluded.