Ten-Man Daugavpils hold Liepāja to 1–1 draw in dramatic Virslīga clash

In Matchday 17 of the Tonybet Virslīga, BFC Daugavpils showed impressive resilience, battling to a 1–1 draw away to FK Liepāja despite playing a large part of the second half with ten men.

Liepāja manager Andreas Alm welcomed back to the lineup their top scorer Djibril Gueye from suspension, while full-back Kirils Iļjins was unavailable for the match. The hosts nearly took the lead in the 10th minute. Moustapha Diaw’s low shot seemed destined for the bottom corner, but Daugavpils captain Aleksejs Kudeļkins produced a vital clearance off the line to deny the goal.

Liepāja’s dominance eventually paid off in the 26th minute. A ball played into the box was initially aimed at Gueye but deflected off a Daugavpils defender and fell kindly to Bruno Melnis, who fired it home to give the hosts a 1–0 lead.

Liepāja continued to control much of the first half, but the scoreline remained unchanged as both teams went into the break.

Early in the second half, drama struck. After a clash in the air inside the box, Daugavpils forward Barthelemy Diedhiou was left on the ground. Replays showed that Liepāja defender Marko Simić struck him in the face with his hand. The referee awarded a penalty, and Diedhiou calmly converted to level the match at 1–1.

Immediately after the restart, Daugavpils found themselves down to ten men. Midfielder Ceti Taty received a second yellow card for a foul, leaving the visitors a man short for the remainder of the match.

With the numerical advantage, Liepāja pushed hard for a winner. They created several good chances, especially in the final minutes, but were unable to beat the Daugavpils defense again.

In the fourth minute of added time, it looked like Liepāja had snatched victory. A dangerous cross into the box led to a goalmouth scramble, where the initial shot was saved by the Daugavpils keeper, only for the ball to bounce off Andriy Korobenko and into the net. However, after a lengthy VAR review, the goal was disallowed due to a handball.

Despite the pressure, Daugavpils held firm and earned a hard-fought point on the road.

FK Liepāja vs BFC Daugavpils – 1:1 (1:0)
Goals: Melnis 27′ | Diedhiou 59′ (Penalty kick)
LIE Petkovic, Sorokins, Isajevs, Simic, Vientiess (Samba 81′), Gueye (Patijčuks 70′), Purtic (Traore 70′), Korobenko, Diaw, Oloko (Leidsman 81′), Melnis.
DAU: Beks – Cucurs, Williams, Kudeļkins, Mihaļcovs, Barkovskis, Taty, Galajs (Skrebels 66′), Lizunovs (Fofana 46′), Diedhiou – Diallo (Ivanovs 67′).

Virslīga Matchday 17 games:

13.06.2025 – FK Tukums 2000 vs FK Auda – 2:4

13.06.2025 – FK Liepāja vs BFC Daugavpils – 1:1

13.06.2025 – FS Jelgava vs FK Metta – 2:1

14.06.2025 – FK Grobiņa vs Riga FC – 14:00

14.06.2025 – FC RFS vs SK Super Nova – 20:00