The Optibet Latvian Futsal Virslīga Matchday 1 continued with a thriller at Rimi Olympic Center, where reigning champions and league favorites Riga Futsal Club were given a rude awakening. Twice they had to claw back from a two-goal deficit before narrowly escaping with a 5-4 victory over newcomers TFK Beitar.
Riga entered the match without several of their top Latvian players, who are currently away with the national team at a friendly tournament in Indonesia. Beitar, however, fielded some familiar firepower – most notably Dmitrijs Kuzmins, last season’s second-highest scorer in the league with 38 goals who played for Riga Futsal Club.
But the opening shock came from elsewhere. Just seconds into the game, 19-year-old Mārcis Puriņš, a product of JDFS Alberts, struck twice in the span of twenty seconds to stun the champions and put Beitar ahead 2-0. Riga responded quickly, as Brazilian Fradick Goes – who last season suited up for Beitar/Riga Mariners – pulled one back. Midway through the first half, Goes leveled the score with a strike while falling to the ground.
Beitar, however, weren’t done. Just before halftime, a slick combination between Mihails Ostapovs and Žans Borisenkovs ended with Borisenkovs restoring the visitors’ lead and netting his first of the season.
The second half saw relentless pressure from Riga, but it backfired in dramatic fashion. A defensive miscue with their goalkeeper caught out of position gifted Kuzmins the chance to punish his former club. Spotting the open net from midfield, he unleashed a precise strike to restore Beitar’s two-goal cushion.
Champions don’t go down quietly, though. Daniel Airoso Silva quickly reduced the deficit, before former RFS Futsal star Bruno Coelho converted a six-meter penalty with just four minutes remaining to tie the match at 4-4. Riga’s determination paid off in the dying minutes: once again it was Goes, completing his hat trick with a close-range finish after a slick passing move, to secure a hard-fought opening-day win for the titleholders.
The Virslīga continues next Saturday with three exciting fixtures: TFK Beitar host FC Nikers, Futbola Parks Academy welcome Daugavpils FS, and the day concludes with the Salaspils Derby between TFK Salaspils and Salaspils FA.
