Rivers United midfielder, Morice Chukuwu, is craving the return of the club to Confederation of Africa Football inter-club competitions again after scoring a crucial goal, which further steered the team towards qualification for continental football next season.
Chukwu scored a goal of the season contender in the club’s 1-0 win over Sunshine Stars, and the result of the rescheduled match-day 12 Nigeria Professional Football League encounter took Rivers back to the top of Group B with 30 points, with one more outstanding game before match-day 18.
The midfielder volleyed powerfully beyond the reach of Mustapha Lawal, in goal for Sunshine, from yards out, after being teed up by Nwagua Nyima.
The goal attracted media hype and attention and the midfielder is basking in its euphoria.
“I’m happy I scored a television goal. I’ve always known I can shoot accurately from that range and if I have the ball well placed like that. It is not only in the EPL we can see that type of goal. We can do it here in Nigeria as well,” Chukwu told our correspondent.
Rivers United were eliminated in the quarter-final of the CAF Confederation Cup by Young Africans of Tanzania 2-0 on aggregate and they returned to the domestic scene to find another way into the continent. However, their hopes of having the Federation Cup as an alternative route was dashed by Enyimba in the round 64 after losing 5-4 on penalties.
In the run-in to the end of the regular season in the NPFL, Stanley Eguma’s side have played two of their outstanding games, which forced the league’s calendar to be adjusted, and they are now in pole position to make the Super 6, where they will have another shot at qualification for the CAF inter-club competitions.
“Before Monday’s game, we were not happy about not being in the CAF competitions again, so, we had to give it our all. At this point, every game we are going to play is as a cup final, so, we can have a chance to return to the continent. We have been there and we want to be there again,” Chukwu said.
Rivers United will face Doma United in their last rescheduled game on Thursday (today) in Port Harcourt, before ending the regular season away against Enugu Rangers.
