In the opening match of Virslīga Matchday 5, Riga FC almost squandered a three-goal lead in the first half but managed to regain it in the second half, ultimately defeating FK Liepāja 5-2. This victory ended Riga’s three-game winless streak.
Before this match, Riga FC had been struggling to get results, having not won in their last three games. The last time they faced a winless streak of four or more games was in 2021, when they finished the season with an eight-game winless streak.
Both teams suffered defeats in their previous league matches: FK Liepāja lost 1-4 to FC RFS, while Riga FC experienced a surprising 1-2 loss to BFC Daugavpils.
For this match, FK Liepāja’s manager, Dino Skender, made a single change to the lineup, replacing the injured Vjačeslavs Isajevs with Oskarss Vientiess. On the other hand, Riga FC’s manager, Adrian Gula, made several changes after the disappointing defeat. Marko Regža and debutant Paulo Eduardo received their first starts of the season, while El Bachir Ngom, Orlando Galo, and Brian Pena returned to the starting lineup.
The first goal of the match came in the 10th minute when Meissa Diop found Iago Siqueira in the box, and the Brazilian scored with a shot into the bottom left corner, marking his first goal of the season. Five minutes later, Riga doubled their lead when an active Meissa Diop’s shot hit the post. In an attempt to clear the ball, Liepāja defender Anton Babič unfortunately redirected it into his own net.
Liepāja appeared to be in trouble, similar to their second-half performance against RFS, as Riga extended their lead further. A shot from Orlando Galo hit Dodo’s hand in the box, leading to a penalty kick after a VAR review. Marko Regža successfully converted the penalty, making it 3-0.
However, Liepāja quickly responded and got a goal back. Trevor Samba delivered an excellent corner kick that was headed in by veteran Dodo, bringing the score to 3-1. A few minutes later, in the 35th minute, Liepāja scored again from a set piece. Samba played a short corner, and after the ball was crossed by Kirils Iļjins, former FK Metta defender Oskar Vientiess finished it off, scoring his first goal for his new club. The high-scoring first half concluded with the score at 3-2.
In the second half, Liepāja had a great opportunity to equalize. Bruno Melnis shot from just inside the penalty area, hitting the post, and although Dodo managed to get to the rebound, his shot went over the goal. Moments later, Riga capitalized on their opportunity. A two-man play between Meissa Diop and Marko Regža resulted in a goal for Diop, giving Riga a 4-2 lead.
Towards the end of the game, Riga FC’s top goalscorer, Brian Pena, seized on a mistake by a Liepāja defender and scored the fifth goal for his team, bringing his season total to four goals and securing a 5-2 victory for Riga.
As a result, Riga FC ended their three-game winless streak, while FK Liepāja suffered their second consecutive defeat.
FK Liepāja’s next match will be an away game against FK Auda on Wednesday, while Riga FC will host FK Metta the day before, on Tuesday..
FK Liepāja vs Riga FC – 2:5 (2:3)
Goals: Dodo 29′, Vientiess 35′ | Siqieora 10′, Babic 15′ (Own goal), Regža 27′ (Penalty kick), Diop 59′, Pena 82′
Yellow Card: Doudou 78′, Korobenko 90′ | Diop 81′, Taiwo 84′
LIE: Petkovic – Sorokins, Babic, Vientiess, Iļjins – Dodo (Doudou 65′), Lausic (Ro.Meļķis 75′), Korobenko, Samba (Diaw 75′) – Gueye (Domjanic 75′), Melnis (Traore 65′)
RFS: Zviedris – Jurkovskis (Toņiševs 88′), Eduardo, Ngom, Erquiaga – Ankrah – Diop, Siqueira (Kenio 61′), Galo (Contreras 88′), Pena (Ibrahim 83′) – Regža (Taiwo 83′)
| # | Club | GP | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | FC RFS | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 15 |
| 2 | FK Auda | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 10 |
| 3 | FK Metta | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | -4 | 10 |
| 4 | BFC Daugavpils | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 9 |
| 5 | Riga FC | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 9 |
| 6 | FK Liepāja | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 7 |
| 7 | FS Jelgava | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | -2 | 5 |
| 8 | FK Tukums 2000 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -4 | 5 |
| 9 | SK Super Nova | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 10 | FK Grobiņa | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -6 | 4 |