Auda scores twice from corners, Metta and Jelgava play a goalless draw

In the Matchday 8 match of the TonyBet Virslīga, FK Auda secured a 2:0 victory against FK Tukums 2000, thanks to two goals from corner kicks, while in an earlier match inside the Hanzas Vidusskolas Stadium FK Metta and FS Jelgava played a goalless draw.

Auda, managed by Jurģis Kalns, was seeking its third consecutive win after a defeat earlier in the month against BFC Daugavpils. Meanwhile, Tukums aimed to end their losing streak. In their first encounter of the season, Auda made no changes to the starting lineup from their previous game against FK Metta. In contrast, Kristaps Dišlers, Tukums’ manager, had to adjust his lineup notably as starting goalkeeper Raivo Stūriņš and forward Arturs Krancmanis were unavailable due to a loan deal and Kaspars Anmanis due to suspension. Consequently, Vladislavs Kapustins made his first start of the season in goal.

Early in the match, Auda faced a setback when Karl Wassom received a red card for the second time this season. The Cameroonian defender struck Raivis Ķiršs in the face with his elbow. Initially, the referee did not call a foul, but after a VAR review, the decision was changed to a straight red card.

However, Auda quickly bounced back. Just three minutes later, Emīls Birka delivered a corner kick, and Matheus Clemente, unmarked, scored with a powerful header, marking his third goal of the season. Though Tukums applied offensive pressure later in the half, Rihards Matrevics, Auda’s goalkeeper, performed strongly and maintained the clean sheet.

In the 51st minute, Auda scored their second goal. Once again, following a well-executed corner kick by Emīls Birka, Jeudi Stevenson headed the ball into the net! Birka now has seven assists in the first eight games of the season.

Tukums attempted to keep the match competitive, searching for a goal. However, during one of Auda’s counter-attacks, Kemehlo Nguena was fouled by Maroine Mihoubi, leading to the second red card of the game, with the Tukums defender sent off. This left both teams with ten players each.

Both goalkeepers were outstanding for the remainder of the match, and no further goals were scored. Auda achieved their third consecutive win and their fifth victory in the last six league games, while Tukums, after losing to both Rīga teams, suffered their third consecutive defeat.

FK Auda vs FK Tukums 2000 – 2:0 (1:0)
Goals: Clemente 24′, Stevenson 51′
Yellow Card: Stevenson 71′, Monteiro 79′ | Krieviņš 42′, Ķiršs 54′ Red Card: Wassom 21′ | Mihoubi 68′
AUD: Matrevics – Ogunji, Wassom, Pontelo, Birka – Clemente (Kone 83′) – Rubenis (Kragliks 22′), Ogunniyi, Varslavāns (Kane 83′), Nguena (Traore 83′) – Stevenson (Monteiro 76′)
TUK: Kapustins – Kholod, Reingolcs, Mihoubi, Valmiers (Rogovs 46′ Kačanovs 56′) – Krieviņš (Sirbu 46′, Volkovs (Joksts 46′), Ķiršs (Semeško 69′) – Samoilovs – Pūlis, Dusalijevs

Meanwhile, earlier that day in the opening match of TonyBet Virslīga Matchday 8, FK Metta and FS Jelgava played to a goalless 0-0 draw, marking the second consecutive match for both teams without a goal.

Earlier this week, both teams experienced narrow 0-1 defeats in the league. FS Jelgava lost to FK Liepāja, while FK Metta fell to FK Auda. Before this match, Metta had accumulated 10 points from seven matches, while Jelgava had secured 8 points.

In their four league encounters last season, FK Metta won three times, while FS Jelgava managed one victory. FK Metta, missing manager Andris Riherts due to suspension, made one change to their starting lineup: Kristofers Rēķis replaced Rūdolfs Kļavinskis. FS Jelgava, on the other hand, saw two changes as Victor Promise and Mārcis Peilāns returned to the starting XI.

The best chance of the first half came for FS Jelgava just before the halftime whistle when Mārcis Peilāns received a pass in the penalty area. He expertly controlled the ball and got a close-range header off, but the effort was saved by goalkeeper Ņikita Parfjonovs.

In the second half, not many significant chances were created. FK Metta attempted to capitalize on set pieces, while FS Jelgava tried their luck with long-range shots. However, the second half was uneventful, and the match ended without any goals, leaving both teams with a point.

FK Metta vs FS Jelgava – 0:0 (0:0)
Goals: 
Yellow Card: Kļavinskis 68′, Karimu 75′, Lauan 88′, Vilnis 90+4′ | Alekseičiks 68′, Penkevics 90′
MET: Parfjonovs – Scremin (Molotkovs 82′), Vilnis, Kangars, Minkevics, Lauan – Rēķis (Karimu 71′), Grabovskis (Bangura 82′), Ivulāns (Kļavinskis 60′) – Evelons (Saleh 60′)
JEL: Dvorak – Ullman, Veips, Alekseičiks, Yuzvak (Boroduška 77′), Muhammad – Peilāns (Bečers 46′), Penkevics, Holoubek – Emenike (Campos 77′), Promise (Pētersons 56′)