Babič’s deflected strike gives Liepāja the win against Metta

In the 19th round of the TonyBet Virslīga, FK Liepāja snatched all three points at Daugava Stadium with a dramatic 85th-minute winner from Anto Babič, sealing their third win in as many games this season against FK Metta.

The match marked the start of the third Virslīga cycle, with Liepāja once again welcoming Metta—just as they had in the season opener. Back then, under Dino Skender’s management, Liepāja ran riot in a 4–0 win. Their second meeting, in early May and then under manager Jānis Goba, also ended in a Liepāja win, this time 4–2.

Today, however, Metta’s head coach Andris Riherts faced a different Liepāja—one with a third man at the helm – Andreas Alm. And in the first half, it was clear this would be a much tighter affair. Liepāja registered an early chance in the 2nd minute through Moustapha Diaw, but it turned out to be their best moment of the half. Metta, on the other hand, nearly struck on a well-worked short corner between Ivulāns and Grabovskis, the latter testing Montenegro international Danijel Petković with a sharp effort.

Alm wasn’t satisfied and made changes at halftime, bringing on Kyvon Leidsman—known for his strength in hold-up play—and French winger Amadou Traoré, who added pace and width. Off came Djibril Gueye and Joseph Ede Oloko, both ineffective on the day.

Liepāja’s second-half performance was far more assertive, with extended spells of possession and attacking play focused down the flanks. However, poor delivery from wide areas repeatedly let them down, and Metta posed a threat on the break. One such counter nearly led to a goal: Kristaps Grabovskis danced past Anto Babič on the left wing and unleashed a curling shot that Petković only managed to parry. The rebound fell perfectly to Emīls Evelons—ironically a former FK Liepāja player who never made an official appearance—whose powerful strike rattled the crossbar.

The old adage proved true: if you don’t score, you risk conceding. Eventually, Liepāja’s pressure paid off. A long-range effort from defender Anto Babič took an unfortunate deflection off Metta’s Ivo Minkevičs and spun past a helpless Alvis Sorokins into the net. A cruel blow for Metta, and a deserved reward for Liepāja’s persistence.

In the final minutes, Metta offered little in response, and the visitors returned to Riga empty-handed. The loss sees them drop to the bottom of the table following Tukums’ win earlier in the day, while Liepāja solidify their grip on fourth place.

FK Liepāja vs FK Metta – 1:0 (0:0)
Goals: Babic 85′
LIE: Petkovic, Iļjins, Babic, Isajevs, Sorokins, Diaw (Samba 67′), Korobenko, Lausic (Purtic 90’+1), Gueye (Leidsman 46′), Melnis (Patijčuks 80′), Oloko (Traore 46′)
MET: Sorokins, Lauan, Minkevičs, S.Kamara (Bangura 90’+1), Vilnis, Scremin (Rēķis 76′), Ivulāns, M.Kamara (Kļavinskis 90’+1), Čiņajevs, Grabovskis, Saleh (Evelons 58′)

Virslīga Matchday 19 games:

• 21.06.2025 – BFC Daugavpils vs FK Tukums 2000 – 1:2
• 21.06.2025 – FK Liepāja vs FK Metta – 1:0
• 22.06.2025 – FS Jelgava vs FK Grobiņa – 16:00
• 22.06.2025 – Riga FC vs SK Super Nova – 18:00
• 22.06.2025 – FC RFS vs FK Auda – 20:00