FK Liepāja celebrated their first match on the natural grass at Daugava Stadium this season with a 2-1 victory over BFC Daugavpils, returning to fourth place in the Tonybet Virslīga standings and securing a second consecutive league win.
The hosts started the match with visible control and created the better attacking situations early on, although Daugavpils gradually grew into the game during the latter stages of the first half with several dangerous attacks of their own.
Liepāja nearly opened the scoring already in the sixth minute when Kyvon Leidsman met Vladislavs Sorokins’ cross inside the penalty area, but the Dutch forward headed over the target. At the other end, Daugavpils threatened mostly through long-range efforts, forcing Danijel Petkovic into several important saves, including stops against William Mukwelle, Artem Garzha and Abdoul Traore.
The breakthrough finally arrived just before halftime and once again Leidsman played a key role after returning to the starting striker role. In the 44th minute Ceti Tchibinda brought the Dutchman down inside the penalty area while attempting to defend a cross, giving Liepāja a penalty. Brazilian midfielder Fellipe Vieira confidently converted from the spot, sending the ball into the bottom left corner to make it 1-0.
Liepāja doubled their advantage shortly after the restart. In the 54th minute Chovanie Amatkarijo released Leidsman behind the defence with a perfectly weighted through ball. The striker outpaced Papa Gningue before calmly finishing past goalkeeper Jānis Beks for his third goal of the season and a 2-0 lead.
However, Daugavpils responded almost immediately and brought the game back to life only four minutes later. A quick counterattack orchestrated by Joel Yakubu exposed Liepāja’s reshuffled defence, with the Ghanaian attacker eventually squaring the ball for Rostand Ndjiki to finish into an empty net for his fourth goal of the campaign.
The match opened up significantly after the goal, with both teams finding space in transition. Liepāja almost restored their two-goal cushion in the 62nd minute when Ivans Patrikejevs set up Vieira inside the penalty area, but Beks reacted well to deny the Brazilian.
Daugavpils continued pushing for an equaliser and came close through Ndjiki, whose header drifted narrowly wide in the 69th minute, while Petković remained reliable in the Liepāja goal throughout the second half.
The home side also threatened from set pieces late on, with Rodolphe Ekou forcing another strong save from Beks after a Patrikejevs cross.
Despite late pressure from the visitors, Liepāja managed to see the game out and secure all three points.
The victory strengthens Liepāja’s hold on fourth place in the standings, while Daugavpils extended their winless run to six league matches after previously winning four in a row. Daugavpils will host Ogre United on Thursday, while Liepāja travel to Skonto Stadium on Friday for an important clash against FK Auda.
FK Liepāja vs BFC Daugavpils – 2-1 (1-0)
Goals: Vieira 45+1′ (Penalty kick), Leidsman 54′ | Ndjiki 58′
| # | 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 |
