Nasarawa United technical adviser Mbwas Mangut has expressed his frustration after his side held Rivers United to a 1-1 draw at home on Sunday. The Solid Miners fell behind in the 68th minute when centre-back Harrison Ebah inadvertently diverted the ball into his own net while attempting to clear, giving Rivers United the lead.
Nasarawa United responded strongly and were awarded a penalty seven minutes from full time after Habibu Alakija was brought down inside the box. Substitute Musa Yakubu kept his composure from the spot, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way to level the scores and rescue a point for the home side.
Despite the result, Mangut was unhappy with his team’s failure to convert their chances and also questioned the officials’ decision not to award Nasarawa United two earlier penalties. “It was a well-balanced game, and both sides expressed themselves. We conceded from a defensive error, but we were able to come back into the game,” Mangut told the club’s media.
“I’m not happy with the scoreline, but I’ve seen a lot of improvement in my team. We kept pressing until the error came, and even after conceding, we continued to push forward. “As far as I’m concerned, there were three penalties in our favour in this match. One came in the first half when they pulled my player by the shoulder when he was clear on goal.
The other was when our player was fouled from behind inside the box.”