FCI Levadia’s European campaign in the UEFA Champions League came to an early end following a narrow 0:1 loss away to the Latvian champions FC RFS in the first qualifying round. After also falling by the same scoreline in the first leg in Tallinn, Levadia bowed out of the competition with a 0:2 aggregate defeat.
Despite the result, Levadia head coach Curro Torres remained proud of his team’s performance and highlighted the positives following the hard-fought encounter in Riga.
“It’s a sad result. We had chances to equalize. Apart from the first 15–20 minutes, my team played very well, and I’m very proud of them,” said Torres.
“We showed character both in defense and in possession. I’m especially pleased with some of the young players who once again performed well today. We had several scoring opportunities — and when you play in Europe, you have to take them. Our opponents played with more experience and took one of their chances.”
Though Levadia are out of the Champions League, the Spanish manager believes the performance proved his side’s potential on the European stage:
“My team showed that it’s capable of competing with strong teams in Europe. That’s important not only for us but also for the whole Estonian Premium Liiga.”
Looking ahead, Torres stressed the importance of moving on quickly as domestic responsibilities return this weekend.
“Of course, the feeling right now isn’t good — and that’s normal. But life goes on. For us, it’s actually good that we have another Premium Liiga match already on Saturday. Our next European opponent will be Iberia, but for now, I’ll focus only on Saturday’s match. Staying at the top of the Premium Liiga is extremely important for us.”
