Auda ends winless streak with convincing 4–1 victory over Metta

In the opening match of Matchday 16 in the Latvian Virslīga, FK Auda, coached by Jurģis Kalns, finally put an end to their six-game winless streak with a dominant 4–1 victory over FK Metta. Meanwhile, Metta’s struggles only deepened, as they extended their own winless run to 11 consecutive matches.

Heading into this encounter, both sides were in desperate need of a morale boost. Auda hadn’t tasted victory since April 24, when they edged past Grobiņa, while Metta had gone without a win since April 4, their last triumph coming in a surprise result against reigning champions RFS.

Kalns made a couple of key changes to his starting lineup. Croatian full-back Tin Hrvoj returned from suspension, and midfielder Matheus Clemente earned his first start since May 11. Thankfully for Auda, Emīls Birka’s injury from the previous match turned out to be minor, allowing him to return to the pitch from the opening whistle.

Metta’s head coach Andris Riherts also shuffled his deck. Goalkeeper Ņikita Parfjonovs was reinstated between the posts, while 18-year-old Gundars Smilškalns was handed a starting role.

History wasn’t on Metta’s side—despite a 3–0 technical victory in 2022 due to an administrative error involving Auda’s lineup, Metta had never actually beaten Auda on the pitch in Virslīga play. Earlier this season, Auda had secured a narrow 1–0 win over Metta at Hanzas Secondary School Stadium, thanks to a first-half strike from Abiodun Ogunniyi.

This match got off to a nightmare start for the home fans. Just four minutes in, Metta took the lead in bizarre fashion. A catastrophic back-pass from Auda defender Deniss Meļņiks slipped past his own goalkeeper Rihards Matrevics and rolled into the net—an own goal that left the home crowd stunned.

Despite the early blow, Auda quickly regrouped and began to assert themselves offensively. Meļņiks nearly redeemed himself with a powerful header that sailed just over the bar following a set piece. The momentum shifted when Parfjonovs misjudged a challenge in the box, gifting Auda a penalty. Kemehlo Nguena coolly slotted it home, sending Parfjonovs the wrong way and becoming Auda’s top scorer this season with four goals.

Auda kept the pressure on for the remainder of the half. Jeudi Stevenson missed a golden opportunity from a promising position, but the teams went into halftime level at 1–1.

The second half mirrored the latter stages of the first: Auda dictating tempo, probing for weaknesses. Their persistence paid off in the 50th minute. Clemente’s effort rattled the post, but Stevenson was first to the rebound, making no mistake this time to put Auda in front.

Just ten minutes later, Renārs Varslavāns broke a nearly two-month scoring drought, doubling Auda’s lead and crushing any hopes Metta had of a comeback.

Metta’s morale appeared shot, their bench visibly subdued. On the other side, Auda remained hungry and continued to press forward. Their attacking intent paid off again in the 86th minute when Ivo Minkevičs brought down Matheus Clemente inside the box, prompting an easy decision from the referee. This time, Ousmane Camara stepped up and calmly converted the penalty, sealing the 4–1 victory. It marked the first time this season that Auda has scored four goals in a single match.

The final whistle confirmed Auda’s return to winning ways and spared them from setting a club-record winless streak. The result keeps them firmly in the top three heading into the international break. For Metta, the loss means their slide continues, stuck on 12 points from 16 matches and languishing in ninth place.

Both teams now head into a two-week international pause. Auda returns to action on June 13 against FK Tukums 2000, while Metta will travel to Jelgava to take on FS Jelgava.

FK Auda vs FK Metta – 4:1 (1:1)
Goals: Nguena 19′ (Penalty Kick), Jeudi 50′, Varslavāns 60′, Camara 87′ (Penalty kick) | Meļņiks 4′ (Own goal)
AUD: Matrevics, Hrvoj (Ogunji 74′), Meļņiks, Pontelo, Birka, Clemente, Rubenis (Camara 74′), Ogunniyi (Kane 82′), Varslavāns, Nguena (Kone 82′), Stevenson (Monteiro 67′)
MET: Parfjonovs, Smilškalns (Karimu 46′), Vilnis, Kangars, Minkevičs, Lauan, Ivulāns, Činajevs (Molotkovs 30′), Grabovskis (Bangura 80′), Reķis (Kamara 63′), Evelons (Saleh 63′)

Virslīga Matchday 16 games:

• 29.05.2025 – FK Auda vs FK Metta – 4:1
• 30.05.2025 – FS Jelgava vs FK Liepāja – 18:00
• 31.05.2025 – Riga FC vs FK Tukums 2000 – 17:00
• 31.05.2025 – FC RFS vs FK Grobiņa – 19:00
• 01.06.2025 – SK Super Nova vs BFC Daugavpils 15:00