RIVERS United Manager, Finidi George, had blamed careless errors by his players for the team’s 3-0 defeat by Pyramids FC of Egypt in their CAF Champions League group game in Caira, Egypt, at the weekend.

The defending champions in the encounter played at the 30 June Stadium, Cairo got a hat-trick through Ahmed Atef El Sayed in the second half after a goalless first half.

Explaining the Port Harcourt-based team’s defeat, Finidi said: “We played well but the final touch was not there. We did well in the first half and in the second half, their first goal was a mistake from our defender. If you allow a team like this to score, they will gain momentum, and from that they got their second goal, and from there the game was over.”

The Egyptian powerhouse dominated possession from the start but struggled to break down Rivers United’s defense early on.
The hosts came close to an opening goal in the 20th minute when Abdel-Rahman Magdy sent a shot over the bar.

In the second half, Atef broke the deadlock in the 52nd minute by slotting the ball into the empty net after goalkeeper Onisodumeya spilled a powerful shot by Mahmoud Zalaka.

Five minutes later, Atef doubled his tally, heading home a wide cross from Karim Hafez .

Atef completed his hat-trick in the 72nd minute by firing a powerful strike from inside the box to seal a 3-0 victory for the Blues.

Rivers United will face Morocco’s RS Berkane in their second group game at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on Friday, while Pyramids FC’s next game will be against Power Dynamos of Zambia.