FK Auda’s European dreams came to a dramatic and bitter end on Wednesday night as they were eliminated from the UEFA Conference League by Northern Ireland’s Larne FC after a penalty shootout. Following the match, head coach Jurģis Kalns shared an emotional and candid breakdown of the game and the broader context surrounding the team’s journey.
“It’s just a shame, a real shame that our European campaign ended—and unfairly so,” said Kalns in his opening comments. “But that’s football. The better team doesn’t always win. That’s what makes the sport so intriguing. In a different scenario, we would’ve advanced. This time, they got lucky.”
Auda had the lion’s share of possession and chances, while Larne produced fewer shots but with high danger. Kalns was asked how nearly every Larne chance seemed to be a clear-cut opportunity.
“It’s psychological,” he explained. “If you see four attacking moments from one team, they’ll all seem dangerous. But when you see 50 from the other, you’ll only remember a few. That’s what happened here. Sure, they hit the post—but we hit it twice. And I believe there was a clear penalty on Paulo Eduardo in the first half. If VAR existed at this level, that might’ve been given.”
Kalns noted that second Larne’s goals came from direct, simple situations: a long ball, a lost duel, and a dangerous cross into the box. The way they tried to play all game long.
The coach admitted his biggest fear came true when he was forced to substitute Oskars Rubenis and Abdoul Kader Traoré, both of whom were fatigued and no longer could run.
“After I took them off, we lost our rhythm. But I didn’t have any other viable options. The players I brought on—Jackson Kenio and Jayen Gerold—are used to playing a different style. They’re wingers in the classic sense. But our system requires something else entirely.”
Kalns admitted it was a tactical risk that didn’t pay off.
“Was it a mistake? Maybe. I’ll accept responsibility for it. But I had no other options for those positions. We were hoping their fresh legs would make a difference, but that gamble failed.”
He also acknowledged that the team’s late squad building this summer had an impact and may have cost them a deeper run in Europe.
Rubenis, who registered two assists during the match, was clearly a game-changer—until fatigue and leg issues forced his substitution.
“If he had been able to play another 15–20 minutes, who knows—we might’ve scored a third,” Kalns said. “Though honestly, at one point in the first half I considered subbing him off for tactical reasons—he wasn’t tracking back and was running around like, pardon my language, ‘a turd drifting in the Daugava River’ from one wing to another.”
When asked about the decision to let Ousmane Camara, the young Burkinabé forward, take the fifth and final penalty (which he missed, hitting the crossbar), Kalns said he wasn’t the one who selected the takers.
“That’s delegated to other members of my staff. But yes, I brought Camara on specifically for penalties. I like players who don’t overthink—who go up and just hit it with confidence. Usually, that kind of mindset works. Unfortunately, not this time.”
Kalns pushed back strongly when a journalist referred to Larne as the “weaker team.”
“Just because we dominated the game, does it make them weaker? But that doesn’t mean they’re weaker. Just five months ago, Larne beat Gent at home. They’ve played in the Conference League group stage. Compare their European track record to ours—there’s no contest. So no, it’s not fair to call them a weaker team. They just play a very different kind of football than we do.”
Kalns also addressed the departure of several key players this summer, including Rihards Matrevics, Pontello, and Ogunniyi.
“They didn’t leave for weaker clubs. Rihards went to the Czech top league, Pontello is about to sign with a Portuguese top-flight club, and Birka went to Riga FC. Financially and professionally, these are steps up. Sure, I’d love to have had them tonight, but Auda is a development club. Why hold players back? To get past two rounds of Conference League qualifiers? What would that achieve? We’d beat a Northern Irish side and maybe a Kosovan team—would that suddenly elevate Latvian football?”
Kalns was also asked about his personal record in European competition—just two wins in ten matches, both against a San Marino club with Valmiera FC.
“You could say I’m more of a league coach than a cup coach, maybe that’s true. But name me five Latvian coaches who’ve gotten past rounds in Europe—besides Morozs. There aren’t many. I’m not too concerned about that. I know where we’re going, and I know what I’m capable of.”
Kalns concluded by reflecting on the value of European football for a young squad like Auda’s—most of whom had never played in continental competition before.
“Only three players from last year’s squad were with us this time. There was pressure, nerves. That’s natural. The only way to gain that composure is by playing in Europe regularly. Look at RFS—they added a little more experience every year, and now they’ve played in both the Conference League group stage and the Europa League playoff rounds. That kind of growth is only possible in Europe—not in the domestic league.”
The Auda coach shared a personal memory from his own playing days to drive the point home.
“I remember subbing on for Liepājas Metalurgs at age 22 in front of 50,000 people against Schalke in the UEFA Cup. I totally froze. But that experience taught me everything. This is what our players need too.”
In the end, Kalns admitted that Larne were beatable, and the result still stings. But he remains proud of his players and hopeful for what’s next.
