In the opening game of Virslīga Matchday 4, a surprising result unfolded at the Mežaparks Sport Village, where BFC Daugavpils, thanks to an outstanding performance by goalkeeper Jānis Beks, secured a 2-1 victory against Riga FC.
Riga FC, managed by Adrian Gula, entered the international break after two draws against FK Auda and FS Jelgava. In contrast, their opponents, Daugavpils, were on a two-game losing streak, having suffered defeats to FK Grobiņa and FC RFS. Before this match, Riga FC had a seven-game winning streak against BFC Daugavpils, with their only loss occurring in 2021 when Daugavpils triumphed 3-0.
The game began with intense pressure from Riga. In the second minute, Iaqo Siqueira hit the post, followed by a save from Jānis Beks on a shot from Ramires. A few minutes later, Baba Musah missed the target from close range after a corner kick.
The second half continued to see Riga dominate possession, but the BFC Daugavpils defenders held strong while their forwards sought opportunities to score. Riga FC’s Reginaldo Ramires found the net at the start of the second half, but his goal was disallowed for offside, increasing the pressure on the Riga players as they desperately sought the first goal.
In the 60th minute, an unexpected turn of events occurred. BFC Daugavpils debutant Mali forward Boubou Diallo skillfully secured the ball and passed it to Barthelemy Diedhiou. Diedhiou beat a defender on the left side and took a difficult shot from a sharp angle that Krišjānis Zviedris, the Riga goalkeeper, struggled to save. The ball rebounded in front of the net, where Boubou Diallo tapped it in, giving Daugavpils a surprising 1-0 lead.
Just six minutes later, Riga FC’s woes deepened when Barthelemy Diedhiou, on a counter-attack, received the ball and made a run. He entered the box, cut to his left, and scored in the bottom right corner, beating both the Riga defenders and the Latvian national team goalkeeper with a stunning shot—2-0 Daugavpils.
Riga FC now faced a critical moment and needed to respond. Substitute Marko Regža managed to get one back a few minutes later. After a corner kick, a Riga defender’s shot was saved by Jānis Beks, but Regža was quick to react to the rebound and scored his first goal of the season, bringing the score to 1-2.
In the final minutes of the match, Riga was determined to find an equalizer, but they were met with resistance from Jānis Beks, who made saves against shots from Jackson Kenio and Anthony Contreras and a save of the game on a potential game-tying effort from Brian Pena.
BFC Daugavpils held on for an upset victory, their first in twelve games against Riga FC. Amid this defeat, Adrian Gula’s position as manager may come under scrutiny, as Riga, one of the title favorites, now sits with five points after four games, trailing seven points behind defending champions FC RFS.
Riga FC’s next match will be challenging. They travel to Liepāja on Thursday to face FK Liepāja, while BFC Daugavpils will host FK Auda on Friday.
Riga FC vs BFC Daugavpils – 1:2 (0:0)
Goals: Regža 70′ | Diallo 60′, Diedhiou 66′
Yellow Card: Siqueira 27′, Contreras 90+4′ | Diallo 20′, Mihaļcovs 87′
RIG: Zviedris – Erquiaga, Černomordijs, Musah, Jurkovskis (Toņiševs 71′) – Ankrah – Daškevičs (Pena 46′), Grimaldo (Jackson Keina 61′), Siqueira (Regža 46′), Diop – Ramires (Contreras 71′)
DAU: Beks – Kudeļkins, Williams, Skrebels – Mihaļcovs, Taty (Diakite 79′), Barkovskis, Murakami (Cucurs 79′) – Diedhiou (Kopilovs 81′), Diallo (Galajs 71′), Kone (Fofana 71′)
| # | Club | GP | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | FC RFS | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 12 |
| 2 | BFC Daugavpils | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 9 |
| 3 | FK Metta | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | -4 | 9 |
| 4 | Riga FC | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 8 |
| 5 | FK Liepāja | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| 6 | FK Auda | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| 7 | FK Tukums 2000 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | -2 | 5 |
| 8 | FS Jelgava | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | -2 | 5 |
| 9 | SK Super Nova | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 10 | FK Grobiņa | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -6 | 4 |