Today, the first leg of the playoff for a spot in the Virslīga took place, where the Nākotnes Līga team, JDFS Alberts, unexpectedly secured a 3-2 victory against Grobiņa SC/LFS on the road, bringing them a step closer to the Virslīga.
The initiative from the very first seconds was taken by Grobiņa. Within the first 2 minutes, they already had two corner kicks. By the 6th minute of the match, there were several chances at Alberts’s goal, and the ball hadn’t left their half of the field. In the 8th minute, JDFS Alberts launched their first attack, but Matīss Zēģele’s shot was blocked. In the 15th minute, during Grobiņa’s fifth corner, Zakaria Sdaigui scored from Deivids Dobrecovs’ corner kick, making it 1-0. However, this lead didn’t last long. Just a minute later, a very careless mistake by Ingars Sarmis Stuglis in his own half allowed Alberts’ Dāvis Indrāns to send the ball into Grobiņas’s net, equalizing at 1-1 in the 16th minute. A minute later, Alberts had another chance as Zēģele outmaneuvered a defender and passed the ball in front of the goal to Prohorenkovs, who couldn’t finish the shot. In the 19th minute, Grobiņa SC/LFS scored their second goal. After a cross by Dobrecovs, Alberts’s goalkeeper Māliņš lost control of the ball, and Denys Galata headed it into the net to make it 2-1. In the 22nd minute, the first yellow card of the match was issued, a puzzling display of aggression from Jānis Krautmanis. Just seconds later, a yellow card was also shown to JDFS Alberts’ head coach Artūrs Zakreševskis, who believed Krautmanis deserved a red card. In the 28th minute, Matīss Zeģele was given a yellow card as well, highlighting a generally aggressive start to the match. In the 40th minute, Matīss Zeģele outran Jānis Krautmanis and scored with a header, making it 2-2. Two minutes later, Krišs Andersons attempted a long-range shot. After a mistake by Grobiņa’s goalkeeper Artem Malysh, the ball simply flew over him into the net. The first half ended with JDFS Alberts leading 3-2.
At the start of the second half, Rūdolfs Meļķis replaced Jānis Krautmanis. In the 51st minute, JDFS Alberts scored a fourth goal after a corner kick, but referee Vasīlijs Mordatenko disallowed it as the ball had crossed the goal line beforehand. In the 60th minute, Viktors Dobrecovs made two substitutions: Emīls Knapšis replaced Sdaigui, and Markuss Kruglaužs came on for Rodrigo Gaučis. Just seconds later, Deivids Dobrecovs, who had provided two assists, received a yellow card. In the 67th minute, JDFS Alberts made their first substitution, with Kārlis Pirktiņš entering the field. The first 25 minutes of the second half saw few significant moments. JDFS Alberts focused more on defense, while Grobiņa SC/LFS struggled to create dangerous attacks. However, in the 70th minute, Kruglaužs broke away on a counterattack and was brought down by Germans Māliņš, but the referee did not call a foul. In the 72nd minute, Grobiņa made two substitutions, with Dobrecovs and Fjodorovs being replaced by Sāmietis and Mosquera. Later, Kristaps Maksimovs had a dangerous opportunity, but his shot was saved by Artem Malysh. In the 80th minute, Priedītis left the field, making way for Fabio Sebastians Roša. Overall, the second half was less eventful, with fewer chances and no particularly dangerous attacks. The match ended with JDFS Alberts securing a 3-2 victory.
The return match will take place on November 23 at 12:00 PM at the Upesciems Stadium on a natural grass field.
Grobiņas SC/LFS line-up: Malysh – Krautmanis (46′ Meļķis), Družiņins, Džeriņš – Galata, Stuglis, Fjodorovs (72′ Mosquera), Krušatins – Sdaigui (60′ Knapšis), Dobrecovs (72′ Samietis), Gaučis (60′ Kruglaužs)
JDFS Alberts line-up: Māliņš – Augusts, Maksimovs, Guliaks, Ozoliņš – Indrāns, Krišjānis (68′ Pirktiņš) – Andersons, Zēģele, Priedītis (80′ Roša) – Prohorenkovs.