Rivers United midfielder Nelson Esor has decried the avalanche of scoring chances his side missed in their 4-2 loss to hosts Dakkada on Sunday on Match Day 19 of the 2020-21 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) fixtures.

The former Go Round captain scored twice for Stanley Eguma’s men, who led 2-1 at a point, before capitulating to a shock 4-2 loss at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, a ground where they also suffered a 3-0 defeat in the hands Akwa United earlier this season.

Esor believes the outcome could have been different if Rivers United had taken their chances in the encounter while admitting that Uyo is a difficult hunting ground for the Pride of Rivers.

“Akwa Ibom (Uyo) has been a very tough ground for Rivers United, often and often,” the attacking midfielder said. “But the mindset we came up with today (Sunday) was different from that of Akwa United. We came all out to win, but you can see the outcome of the match.

“But in a game of football like I will always say, any side can win. It’s not how you play, but how you put the ball in the net.

“We had all the chances of putting the ball in the net, but we couldn’t convert, they had theirs (and converted), compared to the mistake our defenders and goalkeeper made in giving them two goals. So, you can see how the game turned around to their favour.”

Despite the defeat, Rivers United remain 7th on the NPFL standings, with 29 points from 18 matches with a game in hand.