In the last match of TonyBet Virslīga Matchday 1, the newly revamped FK Liepāja achieved a convincing 4-0 victory in the season’s opening game against FK Metta. They laid a good foundation for victory in the first half, when they scored three goals.
Dino Skender, the newly appointed manager of FK Liepāja, opted for a starting lineup that included five Latvian players, four of whom were signed during the offseason.
On the other hand, Andris Riherts’ team faced significant challenges due to the departures of long-time captain Oskars Vientiess and Bruno Melnis, both of whom joined FK Liepāja. As well as players like Jegors Novikovs, Ousmane Sow, and Rendijs Šibass. The most experienced members of the Metta squad now include the newly appointed captain Kārlis Vilnis and Kristofers Reķis, both of whom are entering their fourth full season with FK Metta. They will need to fill the leadership void left by Oskars Vientiess and, further back, by Lūkass Vapne and Raimonds Krollis.
FK Liepāja started strong. In the 17th minute, after a successful press, they regained possession in the Metta half. Lausic received the ball and passed it to new signing Tresor Samba, who broke free and scored the first goal of the season for FK Liepāja.
Thirteen minutes later, after a corner kick, FK Liepāja doubled their lead. The ball was cleared but went straight to Korobenko, who mishit his shot, as it went straight to Anto Babic who quickly reacted and scored with a shot into the bottom corner.
In the 38th minute, Vladislavs Sorokins made a memorable play. After receiving a pass in his own half, he sprinted the full length of the field and unleashed a shot from around 25 meters that found the top corner. This goal marked Sorokins’ first in 8.5 years.
While FK Liepāja’s pressure decreased in the second half, they managed to score a fourth goal. Vladislavs Sorokins, from his right side, found Bruno Melnis, who turned and shot from just outside the box, beating his former teammate Alvis Sorokins and upsetting his former team even more. Melnis chose not to celebrate the goal.
As the final whistle blew, FK Liepāja began the season with an impressive win. In contrast, FK Metta faced a significant setback, tying an unwanted record by suffering their largest defeat in an opening game in Virslīga history. Previously, they had lost 0-4 to FK Liepājas Metalurgs in 2013, a match in which current FK Auda manager Jurģis Kalns had scored twice.
FK Liepāja’s next league game is on Wednesday, when they will host FK Tukums, while FK Metta will be looking to bounce back the same day against SK Super Nova.
FK Liepāja vs FK Metta 4:0 (3:0)
Goals: Samba 17′, Babic 30′, Sorokins 38′, Melnis 64′
Yellow Card: Kamara 35′, Minkevičs 90′
LIE: Petkovic – Sorokins, Babic, Isajevs, Iļjins – Lausič (Purtic 76′), Korobenko (Vientiess 72′) – Meļķis, Melnis (Patijčuks 64′), Samba (Dodo 64′) – Gueye (Leidsman 72′)
MET: Sorokins – Minkevičs, Vilnis, Kamara (Bērziņš 72′) – Ivulāns (Smilškalns 85′), Cēsnieks, Reķis, Bangura (Evelons 46′), Činajevs – Grabovskis (Kļavinskis 46′), Saleh (Jesse 58′)
Referee: Vitālijs Spasjonņikovs
| # | Club | GP | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | FC RFS | 10 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 24 |
| 2 | Riga FC | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 15 | 21 |
| 3 | FK Auda | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 19 |
| 4 | BFC Daugavpils | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 17 |
| 5 | FS Jelgava | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 15 |
| 6 | FK Liepāja | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | -1 | 14 |
| 7 | FK Metta | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | -9 | 11 |
| 8 | SK Super Nova | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | -5 | 7 |
| 9 | FK Tukums 2000 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 6 | -10 | 6 |
| 10 | FK Grobiņa | 10 | 1 | 2 | 7 | -15 | 5 |