During Matchday 4 of the Tonybet Virslīga, FK Liepāja took an early lead against FC RFS in the first half but faltered in the second half, conceding four goals as the defending champions continued their perfect record with a 4-1 victory.
FC RFS has proven to be a challenging opponent for FK Liepāja over the past few seasons with Liepāja’s last win against them dating back to late in the 2020 season, when the Kurzeme side secured a narrow 1-0 victory. Since then, RFS has won 13 out of their last 17 encounters, with four matches ending in a draw. The match began with a sense of hope for Liepāja as Djibril Gueye scored from close range in the 11th minute, thanks to a great setup by Dodo. This marked Liepāja’s first lead against RFS since Tamaz Pertia took charge in the summer of 2022, where they infamously squandered a 2-0 lead.
In the first half, RFS had several chances, but goalkeeper Danijel Petkovic held strong, maintaining the clean sheet. The teams went into halftime with Liepāja in the lead, but the second half brought unexpected developments.
Georgian winger Lasha Odisharia, who replaced Cedric Kouadio, changed the dynamic of the game. Just two minutes into the second half, he drew a foul that led to RFS equalizing. An initial cross was cleared by the Liepāja defense but fell to Yukiyoshi Karashima, who struck from the edge of the box. Although Petkovic was close to saving the shot, he couldn’t stop its powerful trajectory.
Soon after, a defensive error from Liepāja allowed RFS to take the lead. Odisharia’s cross from the left wasn’t intercepted by Babic, and Darko Lemajic capitalized on the opportunity as he found himself with the ball around the penalty spot and placed the ball past Petkovic.
Moments later, Petkovic conceded a third goal when Karashima set up Jānis Ikaunieks, who executed a quick spin to evade a defender before scoring, making it 3-1. This third goal put it beyond any doubt that RFS’s dominance over FK Liepāja would continue for at least one more match.
Towards the end of the match, Lasha Odisharia scored a goal of his own, further highlighting RFS’s strong second-half performance and solidifying their perfect record in the Virslīga with a 4-1 win.
FC RFS have now won all four of their league matches and is building a significant lead early in the season, while FK Liepāja suffered their first defeat of the campaign.
Looking ahead, both teams will return to league action on Friday. FC RFS will play an away match against FK Metta at the Hanzas Vidusskolas stadium, while FK Liepāja will host Riga FC.
FC RFS vs FK Liepāja – 4:1 (0:1)
Goals: Karashima 47′, Lemajic 48′, Ikaunieks 54′, Odisharia 88′ | Gueye 11′
Yellow Card: Lemajic 45+2′, Mareš 58′, Savaļnieks 68′ | Gueye 34′, Iļjins 61′, Korobenko 90+1′
LIE: Petkovic – Sorokins, Babic, Isajevs (Simic 29′), Iļjins – Dodo (Traore 63′), Lausic, Korobenko, Samba (Domjanic 74′) – Gueye (Doudou 74′), Melnis (Meļķis 63′)
RFS: Ondoa – Savaļnieks (Šibass 90+1′), Sliede, Lipušček (Stuglis 90+1′), Mares – Karashima (Njie 90+1′), Panic – Talla (Porsan-Clemente 73′), Kouadio (Odisharia 46′), Ikaunieks – Lemajic
| # | 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 |