Panic’s penalty gives RFS first-leg edge over Levadia

In the first leg game of the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round, Latvian champions FC RFS secured a hard-fought 1–0 away victory against Estonian champions FCI Levadia at the A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn. The lone goal of the match came from Serbian midfielder Stefan Panic, who converted a penalty in the 55th minute, giving RFS a slight advantage heading into next week’s return leg in Riga.

This encounter marked the first European showdown between Latvian and Estonian clubs in 16 years, and Levadia’s head coach Curro Torres made no surprising changes to his starting eleven. However, there was a major blow for the Estonian side as center-back Peetson — who had just returned from injury and played in a league match against Paide — was once again sidelined due to health concerns.

Elsewhere, Musaba kept his place as the main striker after his appearance against Paide, with Agyiri playing just behind him. Pedro and Roosnupp operated on the flanks.

For FC RFS, the pre-match question was who would be selected as the starting goalkeeper. Ultimately, Jevgenijs Nerugals was given the nod, with new signing Marko Marić, who had trained just once with the squad, remaining on the bench.

RFS started the game with more initiative. In the 8th minute, Jānis Ikaunieks broke free one-on-one with Levadia’s center-back but was denied by a perfectly timed tackle from Nigerian defender Victor Iboro. Although Ikaunieks appealed, Welsh referee Tom Owen waved play on.

As the first half progressed, Levadia began to grow into the match. Midfielder Ernest Agyiri and Tila Mavretic attempted to surprise RFS keeper Jevgeņijs Nerugals with long-range shots. Five minutes before the break, Agyiri had a golden chance inside the box but fired wide with his weaker foot. RFS responded in stoppage time with two close chances — a powerful shot by Dmitrijs Zelenkovs narrowly missing the crossbar and a double opportunity for Ikaunieks, both of which were not converted. The first half ended goalless.

Early in the second half, RFS nearly broke the deadlock when Laša Odisharia picked out Darko Lemajič, but the Serbian striker’s shot was saved by Karl Andre Vallner. The breakthrough finally came in the 55th minute. After a cross from Roberts Savaļnieks, Levadia captain Mikhel Ainsalu handled the ball inside the box. Following a VAR review, a penalty was awarded. Serbian midfielder Stefan Panic took the responsibility and confidently slotted the ball into the bottom-left corner to give RFS a 1–0 lead.

Levadia made several attacking changes, including introducing Gambian forward Bubacar Tambedou, whose pace troubled the RFS defenders Lipušček and Prenga. Despite that, the Latvian side defended solidly and weathered the storm.

In the 85th minute, RFS nearly doubled their lead on the counter, as substitute Mor Talla forced a diving save from Vallner after a low drive toward the near post. Shortly after, Roberts Savaļnieks left the pitch with an injury and was replaced by debutant Roberts Veips — RFS’s final substitution.

The final minute of regular time saw a chaotic scramble in the RFS penalty area. Nerugals parried a long-range shot straight into danger, leading to two more efforts by Levadia players — one of which was heroically blocked by Veips, just minutes after coming on. Despite seven minutes of stoppage time and constant pressure, Levadia couldn’t find the equalizer.

With the 1–0 victory, RFS return to Riga with a slight edge heading into the second leg, set for July 15 at LNK Sporta Parks. The winner of this Baltic battle will face either Sweden’s Malmö FF or Georgia’s Iberia 1999 in the second qualifying round. Malmö already hold a 3–1 away win from their first leg, putting them in strong position.

FCI Levadia vs FC RFS – 0:1 (0:0)
Goals: Panic 55′ (Penalty kick)
LEV: Vallner, Tur (Kirss 84′), Tammik, Iboro, Schjonning-Larsen, Agyiri, Ainsalu, Mavretic, Pedro (Zakarlyuka 81′), Musaba (Liivak 84′), Roosnupp (Tambedou 68′)
RFS: Nerugals, Savaļnieks (Veips 88′), Prenga, Lipušček, Mares (Diedhiou 63′), Panic, Njie, Zelenkovs, J.Ikaunieks, Odisharia (D.Ikaunieks 82′), Lemajic (Talla 82′)