The 21st round of the Latvian Virslīga kicked off with an emphatic statement from RFS, who overcame an early deficit to thrash Daugavpils 7:1 on the road.
It was a match of two very different halves, punctuated by swirling winds and a flurry of goals, with RFS showing the kind of form they’ll want to carry into their upcoming UEFA Champions League qualifier.
The opening 20 minutes were chaotic and dramatic, driven by unpredictable weather and daring attacking play. It was the hosts who struck first in the 6th minute—17-year-old Maksims Kopilovs capitalized on a sharp pass from Wally Fofana and a positional blunder by former Daugavpils goalkeeper Jevgeņijs Nerugals to curl the ball into the near top corner, putting Daugavpils ahead in stunning fashion.
However, the lead was short-lived. RFS, who had struggled to find their rhythm early on, quickly turned the tide with a pair of goals in just four minutes. First, in the 13th minute, a well-worked short corner saw Lasha Odisharia deliver a pinpoint cross that was flicked on by Stefan Panić and finished from close range by Herdi Prenga. Three minutes later, Jeremie Porsan-Clemente powered home RFS’s second after finding space in the box, his shot evading both goalkeeper Jurijs Saveļjevs and desperate defenders.
Daugavpils attempted to respond immediately. Fofana once again found himself one-on-one with Nerugals but misjudged the approach, allowing the veteran keeper to snuff out the danger. From that moment, it was all RFS.
The second half was a showcase of dominance from the Riga side. Within five minutes of the restart, they extended their lead from 2:1 to a commanding 5:1. Japanese midfielder Yukiyoshi Karashima netted his second of the match after an assist from Jānis Ikaunieks. Moments later, towering striker Darko Lemajičs headed in a corner from Petr Mareš. Then, in a sweeping move, Porsan-Clemente turned provider, setting up Ikaunieks to beat Saveļjevs with precision.
Lemajičs added another in the 64th minute, rising to meet another Odisharia delivery and bringing his season tally to 16 goals—cementing his place at the top of the scoring charts. The rout was completed in the 75th minute when RFS debutant Roberts Meļķis, on loan from FK Liepāja, found the net after a clean assist from Dmitrijs Zelenkovs.
This commanding win comes at a crucial time for RFS, who next host FK Liepāja before traveling to Tallinn for their UEFA Champions League qualifying clash. Meanwhile, Daugavpils will look to regroup as they prepare for their upcoming trip to face FC Riga, ahead of a European journey to Albania.
BFC Daugavpils vs FC RFS – 1:7 (1:2)
Goals: Kopilovs 6′ | Prenga 13′, Porsan-Clemante 16′, Karashima 54′, Lemajič 56′, 64′, J. Ikaunieks 59′, Ro. Meļķis 75′
DAU: Saveļjevs, Kudeļkins, Mihaļcovs, Murakami (Bujanovs 79′), Ivanovs (Daukšts 88′), Skrebels, Barkovskis, Diakite, Kopilovs, Fofana (Garzha 60′), Kaušelis (Galajs 79′)
RFS: Nerugals, Prenga, Lipuscek (Stuglis 71′), Mares, Panic, Zelenkovs, Karashima (Šibass 64′), Porsan-Clemante (Roberts Meļķis 64′), Odisharia (Saidy 64′), D.Ikaunieks (Lemajic 46′), J.Ikaunieks
Virslīga Matchday 21 games:
- 30.06.2025 – BFC Daugavpils vs FC RFS – 1:7
- 30.06.2025 – FK Liepāja vs FK Grobiņa – 1:0
- 01.07.2025 – SK Super Nova vs FK Auda – 18:00
- 01.07.2025 – Riga FC vs FS Jelgava – 20:00
- 02.07.2025 – FK Metta vs FK Tukums 2000 – 19:00
| # | Club | GP | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Riga FC | 36 | 27 | 7 | 2 | 59 | 88 |
| 2 | FC RFS | 36 | 28 | 3 | 5 | 61 | 87 |
| 3 | FK Liepāja | 36 | 18 | 7 | 11 | 4 | 61 |
| 4 | BFC Daugavpils | 36 | 13 | 9 | 14 | -10 | 48 |
| 5 | FK Auda | 36 | 13 | 6 | 17 | -5 | 45 |
| 6 | FS Jelgava | 36 | 8 | 14 | 14 | -7 | 38 |
| 7 | FK Tukums 2000 | 36 | 9 | 9 | 18 | -24 | 36 |
| 8 | SK Super Nova | 36 | 6 | 14 | 16 | -12 | 32 |
| 9 | FK Grobiņa | 36 | 8 | 8 | 20 | -31 | 32 |
| 10 | FK Metta | 36 | 8 | 7 | 21 | -35 | 31 |
