Riga FC have advanced to the UEFA Conference League play-off round after a rollercoaster tie against Jerusalem’s Beitar. Despite losing 1-3 in Romania, the Latvian side held onto a 4-3 aggregate lead, earning a spot in the next round against Czech giants Sparta Prague.
The match got off to a lightning start for Beitar. Within six minutes, Omer Atzili fired in from 18 meters to give the hosts an early lead. The momentum stayed with the Israelis, and midway through the first half, Timothée Muzie doubled Beitar’s advantage following a slick counterattack. Riga’s three-goal cushion from the first leg suddenly felt fragile.
Riga responded by playing much better, disrupting Beitar’s rhythm and gradually asserting control. Their persistence paid off late in the second half when Riga star player Joao Grimaldo’s precise pass set up substitute Contreras, who slotted home from the edge of the box to pull one back.
The closing minutes were tense. Riga created a dangerous late opportunity when Raivis Jurkovskis shot from close range, only to be denied by Beitar’s keeper, but on the other end in the fourth minute of stoppage time, the hosts struck again, giving them a glimmer of hope and leaving Riga on the edge.
The aggregate score held, however, and Riga secured their place in the play-offs for the third time in the club histroy. Their reward is a high-stakes clash with Sparta Prague, last season’s UEFA Champions League participants, who convincingly defeated Ararat-Armenia 2-1 on the night, 6-2 on aggregate, to reach the same stage.
Beitar Jerusalem vs Riga FC – 3:1 (2:0) – 3:4 on aggregate
Goals: Atzili 6′, Muzie 24′, Silva Kani 90+4′ | Contreras 86′
RIG: Zviedris, Jurkovskis, Musah, Černomordijs, Ngom, Ankrah, Diop (Contreras 80′), Galo, Siqueira (Ngonda 58′), Grimaldo (Mankenda 89′), Ramires (Regža 80′)
