The new domestic football season kicked off today with the Latvian Football Federation Super Cup held at LNK Sports Park. In the match between last year’s Virslīga champions and the second-place finishers, RFS triumphed over Riga FC with a score of 3-1.
This marked the second consecutive meeting between the two Riga clubs in the Super Cup competition. The teams also faced each other in last year’s Super Cup, where they drew 1-1 before Riga FC prevailed in the penalty shootout. Today, RFS aimed to claim the only title they had not yet won in Latvian football—the Super Cup.
An unfortunate incident occurred at the start of the game when RFS defender Herdi Prenga injured his knee, necessitating a substitution in the first half.
Following this, Riga FC took the initiative to seek opportunities to score. Their best chance came when Gauthier Mankenda skillfully maneuvered past a defender but hit the crossbar with his shot from a sharp angle.
RFS played confidently in defense, effectively neutralizing their opponent’s threats. Midway through the first half, Latvian footballer of the year Jānis Ikaunieks scored with a precise shot into the far corner of the goal, putting RFS in the lead.
In the middle of the second half, RFS doubled their advantage. Ikaunieks combined well with Cedric Kouadio during a perfect counterattack, with Kouadio finding the back of the net with a precise shot. Soon after, Dmitrijs Zelenkovs extended the lead to 3-0 after another impressive play by RFS.
Immediately following Zelenkovs’ goal, he was replaced by Gļebs Žaleiko, who made a critical mistake in his own box by fouling an opposing attacker. The referee awarded a penalty kick, which was successfully converted by Riga FC striker Marko Regža, making the score 3-1. However, this spark of intrigue failed to ignite a full comeback, and the match concluded with RFS claiming their first trophy of the 2025 season.
The Latvian Football Super Cup had previously been held only once, in 2013, when Daugavpils “Daugava” won the trophy against Skonto Rīga in front of their home fans. Since 2024, the tournament has been revived and established as a tradition to mark the beginning of the domestic football season.
The new Virslīga season begins on Wednesday, when FK Auda hosts FC RFS. Riga FC will play its first game against SK Super Nova the following day.
RFS – Riga FC 3:1 (1:0)
Goals: Ikaunieks 36′, Kouadio 71′, Zelenkovs 76′ | Regža 80′ (penalty kick)
Yellow Card: Morozs 51′, Karashima 54′, Mareš 59′, Savaļnieks 65′ Lipušček 65′, Kouadio 69′, Panic 82′ | Pena 64′, Ramires 66′, Jurkovskis 71′
RFS: Ondoa – Sliede, Prenga (Savaļnieks 12′), Lipušček – Odisharia (Talla 78′), Zelenkovs (Žaleiko 78′), Panič, Karashima (Porsan-Clemente 62′), Mareš – Ikaunieks, Lemajic (Kouadio 62′)
Riga: Puriņš – Muzinga, Černomordijs, Musah, Jurkovskis – Galo, Ankrah (Ibrahim 62′) – Mankenda (Diop 79′), Contreras (Grimaldo 62′), Dašķevičs (Pena 46′) – Ramires (Regža 79′)
Referee: Edgars Maļcevs