Several Baltic clubs were in friendly action on February 11, with matches taking place in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Turkey as teams continued preparations for the upcoming season.
In the day’s first fixture at the Viimsi indoor hall in Estonia, Estonian bronze medalists Nõmme Kalju hosted Latvian Virslīga side FK Tukums 2000. Kalju took the lead early on after a costly goalkeeping error allowed Mihhail Orlov to score from long range into an empty net.
Late in the first half, Raivis Ķiršs drew a red card for Kalju’s Uku Korre. Despite it being a friendly, Kalju did not play the remainder of the match with a numerical disadvantage. Tukums equalized early in the second half after a strong run from Rūdolfs Reingolcs created the opportunity, with Japanese newcomer Yushin Koki finishing inside the penalty area. Shortly afterward, Daniels Radzenieks put Tukums ahead. Kalju responded in the 69th minute through Mattias Männilaan from close range, and the match ended in a 2-2 draw.
Meanwhile, in their Turkish training camp, FK Liepāja suffered a narrow 0-1 defeat to Spanish fourth-tier side CD Alcoyano. It marked Liepāja’s first loss of the camp under head coach Andreas Alm, following a 3-1 win over AIK and a 1-1 draw with Ukrainian side Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih.
Latvian vice-champions RFS began their own Turkish camp with a 1-0 victory over Danish second-tier club Kolding IF. The decisive goal came late in the second half from substitute Ismael Diomande, who capitalized on a defensive mistake before finishing one-on-one with the goalkeeper. RFS are also scheduled to face Dynamo Kyiv, Hvidovre IF, and Czech side FK Táborsko later in the camp.
Elsewhere, FK Grobiņa drew 1-1 against Lithuanian second-division side FK Minija, while in another Estonian – Latvian matchup, Narva Trans fell 1-3 to SK Super Nova.
The only Lithuanian A Lyga clubs in action on the day, FK Panevėžys, secured a comfortable 4-1 win over FK TransINVEST, with new signing Edvin Muratovic scoring twice.
