Latvian champions FC RFS will not repeat last year’s achievement of reaching the UEFA Europa League main stages, as their journey in that competition ended tonight with a second straight defeat to Finnish champions KuPS – this time a 0:1 loss away from home, sealing a 1:3 aggregate exit. The focus now shifts to the UEFA Conference League play-off round, where RFS await their next opponent.
The tie had already been tilted against them after last week’s 1:2 home defeat, in which Barthelemy Diedhiou scored the only goal for the hosts. To make matters worse, talisman Jānis Ikaunieks was serving the second of his three-match suspension, a major blow to RFS’s attacking plans. Still, there was hope – this was a team that had overturned tough deficits before.
The opening 20 minutes played into KuPS’s hands, the home side content to keep the tempo low. Just two minutes in, Roberts Veips lost the ball in midfield and had to make a last-ditch challenge to prevent a clear break on goal. In the 22nd minute, the Finns carved out a shooting chance inside the box, only for an RFS defender to intervene at the last moment. Four minutes later, 19-year-old Guinean striker Mohamed Touré let fly from distance, but Croatian goalkeeper Marko Marić gathered easily
By the midpoint of the first half, RFS were beginning to assert themselves, hemming KuPS into their own penalty area. In the 32nd minute, Diedhiou found space in the box for a shot, but Ivorian defender Ibrahim Cissé threw himself into the path of the ball. KuPS countered with a dangerous low cross that fizzed harmlessly across goal.
In the 35th minute Diedhiou went down in the penalty area. Initially awarded a spot-kick, VAR replays revealed the striker had slipped without significant contact from Ghanaian defender Bob Armàh, and the decision was overturned.
The second half began with speculative efforts from both teams – Serbian youngster Strahinja Rakić firing wide for RFS, before KuPS captain Peteri Pennanen struck a perfectly placed shot from around 22 meters, leaving Marić no chance and putting the Finns 3-1 ahead on aggregate. The task for RFS was now monumental.
Their best opportunity to mount a comeback came in the 73rd minute, when a pinpoint cross from Roberts Savaļnieks found Stefan Panić, whose effort cannoned off the post.
In the dying minutes, RFS threw bodies forward in frantic, sometimes chaotic attacks, with Elvis Stuglis missing a clear chance to score. Stoppage time brought a nasty clash of heads between KuPS goalkeeper Johannes Kreidl and defender Samuli Miettinen, both needing treatment before the final whistle confirmed the Latvians’ elimination. Historic day for the Finnish side as KuPS for the first time in their history make it to the European competition main stages.
RFS will now turn their attention to the UEFA Conference League play-offs, where they will face the loser of the tie between Malta’s Ħamrun Spartans and Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv.
KuPS vs FC RFS – 1:0 (0:0) – 3:1 on aggregate
Goals: Pennanen 49′
KUP: Kreidl (Hakala 90+8′), Savolainen, Cisse, Miettinen (Sahimaa 90+8′), Armah, Oksanen, Arifi, Voutilainen (Luyeye-Lutumba 46′), Ruoppi, Toure (Parzyszek 84′), Pennanen (Ricardo 87′)
RFS: Maric, Lipuscek, Veips (Njie 46′), Filipovic (Stuglis 80′), Savaļnieks, Panic, Rakic (Porsan-Clemante 53′), Zelenkovs, Talla, Diedhiou (Ķigurs 65′), D. Ikaunieks (Lemajic 53′)
