In the TonyBet Virslīga match, FS Jelgava secured a comeback victory against FK Tukums 2000, winning 2-1 thanks to a late brace from supersub Rihards Bečers.
Tukums, who were on a three-game losing streak, had previously found more success against Jelgava. Their last defeat to the Zemgale side was in August 2023. Last season, Tukums won two out of four meetings, while the other two ended in draws.
Jelgava’s manager, Aleksandrs Basovs, maintained the same starting lineup for this match as in their previous encounter against Metta. In contrast, Tukums welcomed back two key players: Kaspars Anmanis, who had been suspended for the last match, and goalkeeper Raivo Stūriņš, who was unavailable due to loan obligations.
The visitors opened the scoring when Bogdans Samoilovs found Niks Dusalijevs on the left flank. Dusalijevs looked up and spotted Ingars Pūlis making a run towards the goal. He delivered a low cross that allowed Pūlis, a 24-year-old forward, to tap in his fourth goal of the season.
Jelgava pressed for an equalizer but needed to make changes to turn the tide. In the 80th minute, they brought on Rihards Bečers, and his introduction proved impactful. Just three minutes later, Penkevics found Campos in the penalty area, who then passed to Bečers. The forward took a first-time shot that beat goalkeeper Stūriņš, leveling the game.
Unexpectedly, on the next attack, Jelgava’s Yahaya Muhammad took a shot from outside the box, which hit Bečers’ foot and redirected into the bottom right corner, giving Jelgava the lead just two minutes after equalizing. The 21-year-old forward, who scored three goals in 32 games last season, now has four in just nine matches this season.
With the crowd cheering, Jelgava held on to secure the win, ending their two-game winless streak, while Tukums suffered their fourth consecutive defeat. Following this victory, Jelgava moved up to fifth place in the league table with 12 points after nine games, while Tukums remained tied for last with five points alongside FK Grobiņa.
FS Jelgava vs FK Tukums 2000 – 2:1 (0:1)
Goals: Bečers 84′ 85′ | Pūlis 27′
Yellow Card: Peilāns 6′, Muhammad 18′, Alekseičiks 74′, Veips 90+2′ | Krieviņš 55′, Anmanis 62′, Kholod 74′, Reingolcs 89′
JEL: Dvorak – Ullman, Veips, Alekseičiks, Muhammad – Yuzvak (Pētersons 81′), Penkevics, Holoubek, Promise (Campos 64′) – Emenike (Bečers 81′), Peilāns (Boroduška 64′)
TUK: Stūriņš – Kholod, Reingolcs, Semeško, Valmiers (Joksts 87′) – Anmanis (Rogovs 87′), Krieviņš – Dusalijevs, Samoilovs, Ķiršs (Krancmanis 56′) – Pūlis (Bekili 87′)
| # | Club | GP | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | FC RFS | 11 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 25 |
| 2 | Riga FC | 11 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 17 | 24 |
| 3 | FK Auda | 11 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 19 |
| 4 | BFC Daugavpils | 11 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 17 |
| 5 | FS Jelgava | 11 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 16 |
| 6 | FK Liepāja | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 15 |
| 7 | FK Metta | 11 | 3 | 2 | 6 | -11 | 11 |
| 8 | SK Super Nova | 11 | 2 | 4 | 5 | -3 | 10 |
| 9 | FK Grobiņa | 11 | 2 | 2 | 7 | -14 | 8 |
| 10 | FK Tukums 2000 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 6 | -10 | 7 |