Tonybet Virslīga leaders FC RFS avenged their earlier season defeat against FK Auda with a convincing 3-0 victory at Mežaparks Sports Village on Sunday, strengthening their grip on first place and extending the gap over Riga FC to four points after the champions dropped points against FS Jelgava a day earlier.
Auda entered the match already dealing with several absences. First-choice goalkeeper Nils Puriņš was suspended, while influential midfielder Husaini Ibrahim continued recovering from injury. The problems worsened early in the match when Latvian national team defender Deniss Meļņiks was forced off injured after appearing to hurt his left arm during a challenge. His replacement Ralfs Kragliks was immediately involved in the key moment that opened the scoring.
After Kragliks lost possession under pressure, Ismael Diomande intercepted the ball and RFS quickly transitioned forward. Modou Saidy delivered the final pass for Cedric Kouadio, who finished emphatically under the crossbar in the 29th minute to make it 1-0 and score his first league goal since March.
Backup goalkeeper Raivo Stūriņš, filling in for suspended starter Puriņš, managed to keep Auda alive for much of the first half with several important saves. He denied Jānis Ikaunieks, Kouadio and Saidy during an increasingly dominant spell from the visitors.
However, the pressure finally told deep into first-half stoppage time. After another flowing RFS attack, Ikaunieks squared the ball across goal for Diomande, who finished into a nearly empty net to double the lead and score his fourth Virslīga goal of the season.
Auda attempted to respond after the break, but RFS largely controlled proceedings. The visitors thought they had added a third midway through the second half when Ikaunieks found the net after another excellent move involving Kouadio and Diomande. Yet after a VAR review the goal was overturned, with officials ruling that Diomande had fouled Moussa Ouedraogo while forcing the defender into a mistake earlier in the move.
Unlike that incident, there was no saving Auda in the 75th minute.
Following a corner kick Žiga Lipušček kept the ball alive inside the penalty area and Stefan Panič reacted quickest from close range to score his sixth goal of the season and seal a deserved 3-0 victory for the league leaders.
Auda rarely managed to seriously threaten RFS goalkeeper Jevgenijs Nerugals, although Eduards Dašķevičs came closest late on with a free-kick effort that narrowly missed the top corner.
The result strengthens RFS at the top of the Virslīga table and gives them a four-point cushion over Riga FC, while Auda missed the opportunity to put additional pressure on the title race after suffering only their fourth league defeat of the season.
FK Auda vs FC RFS – 0-3 (0-2)
Goals: Kouadio 29′, Diomande 45+5′, Panič 75′
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  RFS |
13 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 29 | 9 | 20 | 34 |
| 2 |  Riga FC |
13 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 42 | 16 | 26 | 30 |
| 3 |  FK Auda |
13 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 26 | 19 | 7 | 25 |
| 4 |  FK Liepāja |
13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 16 | 19 | -3 | 18 |
| 5 |  Super Nova |
13 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 15 | 18 | -3 | 17 |
| 6 |  BFC Daugavpils |
13 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 15 | 21 | -6 | 14 |
| 7 |  FK Tukums 2000 |
13 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 27 | 21 | 6 | 13 |
| 8 |  FS Jelgava |
13 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 24 | -14 | 13 |
| 9 |  Grobiņa |
13 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 21 | -12 | 12 |
| 10 |  Ogre United |
13 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 11 | 32 | -21 | 3 |
