Riga FC match-winner Salah Oulad said the club’s historic qualification for the UEFA Conference League league stage was the reward for a season’s work after his late goal secured a 2-1 victory over KÍ Klaksvík at Skonto Stadium.
With the first leg in the Faroe Islands having finished 0-0, Oulad struck the decisive goal in Riga to send the club into the main stage of European competition for the first time in its history.
“It feels very good,” Oulad told Baltic Football News’ Frank Marr after the match. “It’s a moment of victory, but it’s the fruit of the labour of the whole team.”
The midfielder said reaching Europe had been a target inside the dressing room throughout the season.
“We’ve been working for this moment ever since last year. Of course, I joined this year, and even this year we had to go through a lot of opponents, but we knew what we had to do.
“For the dressing room, it’s very good. What it will do for the whole city or the whole of Latvia, that’s another question.”
Riga created several opportunities before finally finding the winning goal late in the match, but Oulad said the players had remained patient.
“We created some chances, had some goalscoring opportunities, and in the end, if the goal falls in the 20th minute or in the 87th, you have to be ready the whole game. Every moment can count.”
With European football now extending beyond the end of the Latvian domestic season, Oulad said the timing would not diminish Riga’s enthusiasm.
“We’ve been working for these games the whole season. Now they happen to be at the end of our season, but that doesn’t do anything to our excitement.
“We’re very excited to finish our league season, win prizes and compete in Europe.”
Asked what Riga could achieve in the Conference League, Oulad kept his expectations simple.
“We’ll see. What we know for sure is that we’re going to fight, we’re going to play, and we’ll see what comes to us.”
