FK Grobiņa ended their nearly two-month winless run in the Tonybet Virslīga with a 1-0 home victory over BFC Daugavpils in the opening match of the 28th round.
The home side created the first big chance of the evening in the eighth minute, when Ivan Tyshchenko, making only his second appearance for Grobiņa, found himself in a promising shooting position but sent his effort wide.
Daugavpils had a major opportunity midway through the first half after a misunderstanding between Aleksa Jovanovic and goalkeeper Roberts Ozols inside the Grobiņa penalty area. The loose ball fell kindly to Joel Yakubu, but the Nigerian forward was denied by an excellent save from Ozols, who reacted well to keep the score level.
At the other end, Daugavpils goalkeeper Jānis Beks was called into action late in the first half. He produced a fine save to keep out Milan Corryn’s header following a cross from the right, before Anton Baydal failed to hit the target from a tight angle on the rebound.
The rain became heavier after the break, and both teams looked to test the goalkeepers from distance. Ozols and Beks remained solid, but the deadlock was finally broken in the 75th minute.
After a throw-in from the right side, Artjoms Puzirevskis fought well inside the penalty area and, while falling to the ground, managed to play the ball into the path of Corryn. The Belgian attacking player made no mistake, finishing to give Grobiņa a 1-0 lead. It was his third goal of the Virslīga season.
Just four minutes later, Grobiņa thought they had doubled their advantage. Baydal’s free-kick struck the crossbar, Puzirevskis’ follow-up header was blocked on the line by a Daugavpils defender, and Corryn eventually headed the ball into the net. However, after a VAR review, the goal was ruled out for offside.
That decision almost proved costly immediately, as Daugavpils created a golden chance to equalise after play resumed. Yakubu beat his marker inside the box and shot from close range, but Ozols once again came to Grobiņa’s rescue with another important save.
Grobiņa held on until the final whistle to secure their second win over Daugavpils in four meetings this season. The result moves them further away from ninth-placed FK Tukums 2000, while Daugavpils remain fourth, level on points with fifth-placed FK Liepāja in the race for European qualification.
For Grobiņa, it was their first league victory since July 5, when they defeated Tukums 3-1 at home. They will look to build on this result next Sunday away to FK Auda.
Daugavpils, meanwhile, must quickly turn their attention to the Latvian Cup semi-final, where they host Auda on Tuesday. Their next Virslīga match comes on September 7, away to UEFA Conference League league-phase side Riga FC.
FK Grobiņa vs BFC Daugavpils – 1-0 (0-0)
Goal: Corryn 75′
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  RFS |
26 | 21 | 3 | 2 | 65 | 20 | 45 | 66 |
| 2 |  Riga FC |
26 | 20 | 5 | 1 | 79 | 24 | 55 | 65 |
| 3 |  FK Auda |
27 | 16 | 5 | 6 | 44 | 27 | 17 | 53 |
| 4 |  BFC Daugavpils |
28 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 33 | 32 | 1 | 37 |
| 5 |  FK Liepāja |
27 | 11 | 4 | 12 | 36 | 39 | -3 | 37 |
| 6 |  FS Jelgava |
28 | 8 | 7 | 13 | 32 | 47 | -15 | 31 |
| 7 |  Super Nova |
26 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 27 | 38 | -11 | 29 |
| 8 |  Grobiņa |
28 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 20 | 50 | -30 | 24 |
| 9 |  FK Tukums 2000 |
28 | 4 | 8 | 16 | 41 | 58 | -17 | 20 |
| 10 |  Ogre United |
26 | 3 | 5 | 18 | 26 | 68 | -42 | 14 |
