In Matchday 4 of the TonyBet Virslīga, FK Metta came from behind twice to secure a 4-2 victory against FK Grobiņa in an away match. Markuss Ivulāns scored the decisive goal for Metta, marking their second consecutive win.
Leading up to the international break, FK Grobiņa’s manager, Viktors Dobrecovs, faced a heavy defeat against FK Liepāja. In this match, he gave first-time starts to U19 national team player Tomass Mickevičs and French defender Lucas Kouao, who began his football career at the Rennes academy. Meanwhile, Andris Riherts made just one change to his lineup from the previous league game, bringing Kārlis Vilnis back after he served a one-game suspension.
Last season, these two teams faced each other four times, with FK Metta winning twice, FK Grobiņa once, and the remaining match ending in a draw. The biggest threats to FK Grobiņa were Rodrigo Gaučis and Denys Galata, both of whom scored twice against Metta in those encounters.
Ukrainian forward Denys Galata started in the lineup again and struck first for Grobiņa. In the 27th minute, he received the ball, maneuvered past defender Alans Kangars, and shot with his right foot, beating Metta’s goalkeeper to give Grobiņa a 1-0 lead.
However, Grobiņa’s lead was short-lived. Just two minutes later, Kristaps Grabovskis delivered a cross from a set-piece that was inadvertently redirected into his own net by debutant Tomass Mickevičs.
The scoring continued in the first half when Devids Dobrecovs drew a foul in the penalty box, resulting in a penalty kick. Iranian striker Arwin Kalmarzy stepped up to take the penalty; his initial shot was saved by Ņikita Parfjonovs, but Kalmarzy was quick to rebound and slotted it in for his fourth goal of the season.
Metta equalized again right before halftime, with Kristofers Reķis scoring for the second consecutive game. In the early moments of the second half, Markuss Ivulāns, a talented player from FK Metta, capitalized on a communication lapse among Grobiņa players, gaining a partial one-on-one opportunity before beating goalkeeper Vladislavs Lazarevs to take a 3-2 lead.
Grobiņa attempted to level the game, but in the 67th minute, Metta extended their lead. Sierra Leonean forward Mohamed Kamara scored his first goal in the Virslīga.
This win marked FK Metta’s second in a row, while FK Grobiņa suffered their second consecutive defeat. Grobiņa’s next league match is scheduled for Saturday, where they will play away against FK Tukums 2000. FK Metta will host FC RFS on Friday.
FK Grobiņa vs FK Metta – 2:4 (2:2)
Goals: Galata 27′, Kalmarzy 41′ | Mickevičs 29′ (Own goal), Rēķis 45′, Ivulāns 57′, Kamara 67′
Yellow Card: Kalmarzy 24′, Raščevskis 36′ | Lauan 16′, Činajevs 75′, Kļavinskis 88′
GRO: Lazarevs – Kouao (Rupeiks 46′), Družiņins, Bekili – Raščevskis (Krautmanis 59′), Fjodorovs (Sidorovs 46′), Steinfelder (Gaučis 59′), Galata – Dobrecovs, Mickevičs (Sdaigui 70′) – Kalmarzy
MET: Parfjonovs – Scremin (Cēsinieks 76′), Kangars, Vilnis, Minkevics, Lauan (Molotkovs 46′) – Ivulāns (Kamara 64′), Činajevs, Grabovskis (Kļavinskis 82′), Rēķis – Saleh (Evelons 64′)
| # | Club | GP | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | FC RFS | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 12 |
| 2 | FK Liepāja | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 |
| 3 | FK Auda | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| 4 | BFC Daugavpils | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 5 | FK Metta | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | -5 | 6 |
| 6 | Riga FC | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 7 | SK Super Nova | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 8 | FK Grobiņa | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -4 | 4 |
| 9 | FS Jelgava | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -3 | 2 |
| 10 | FK Tukums 2000 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -4 | 2 |