In today’s Matchday 9 of the TonyBet Virslīga only match, FK Auda secured their fourth consecutive victory by defeating the struggling FK Grobiņa 2-0 at home.
Under the management of Jurģis Kalns, Auda has shown impressive form lately, winning five out of their last six matches, all of which featured clean sheets. In contrast, Viktors Dobrecovs’ team, Grobiņa, has faced difficulties, remaining winless in their last six league games, with five of those resulting in defeats.
Last season, the two teams faced each other four times in the league, splitting the wins with one each, while the other two matches ended in draws. Today, Jurģis Kalns’ side aimed to dominate the game from the outset, and they did just that. The first goal came in the 19th minute when Abiodun Ogunniyi pounced on a rebound after a fantastic save by goalkeeper Pinčuks following a close-range shot from his teammate, Jeudi Stevenson. Ogunniyi capitalized on the opportunity, scoring his third goal of the season.
As the first half progressed, Auda continued to assert their dominance, taking numerous shots while Grobiņa struggled to make an impact, ending the half without any shots on target or even attempts.
The second half saw more of the same, with Auda controlling the game and taking multiple shots. However, the score remained precarious at 1-0, and a single counter-attack could have allowed Grobiņa to equalize. This nearly happened in the 77th minute when a communication error between Auda defenders Pontelo and Matrevics left Rodrigo Gaučis with an open goal, but he missed the opportunity.
A few minutes later, Auda capitalized on their chance to put this game away. Ibrahim Kone delivered a brilliant through ball to Kemehlo Nguena, who found himself in a one-on-one situation and scored past goalkeeper Pinčuks, increasing the lead to 2-0.
With this victory, FK Auda now has 19 points after nine league matches and will finish no lower than second after the first round of play. Meanwhile, FK Grobiņa remains at the bottom of the league table with just five points from nine games.
FK Auda vs FK Grobiņa – 2:0 (1:0)
Goals: Ogunniyi 19′, Nguena 86′
Yellow Card: Rubenis 7′ | Knapšis 58′, Džeriņš 84′
AUD: Matrevics – Ogunji, Meļņiks, Pontelo, Birka – Clemente (Kragliks 89′) – Rubenis (Monteiro 64′), Ogunniyi (Kone 82′), Varslavāns (Kane 89′), Nguena – Stevenson (Traore 82′)
GRO: Piņčuks – Raščevskis, Družiņins, Kouao, Džeriņš, Bekili (Krautmanis 63′) – Gaučis, Mickevičs (Kļuškins 54′), Knapšis – Dobrecovs (Steinfelder 88′), Kalmarzy (Fjodorovs 46′)
| # | 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 |