Bruno Melnis breaks the deadlock as FK Liepāja ends Jelgava’s home streak

In the 16th round of the Latvian Virslīga, FK Liepāja made headlines by becoming the first team this season to defeat FS Jelgava on their home turf. A second-half strike from newly called-up Latvian national team prospect Bruno Melnis proved to be the decisive moment in a tightly contested 1-0 victory.

Heading into the match, both sides were neck-and-neck in the league standings. Jelgava occupied fifth place with 20 points, while Liepāja followed closely in sixth with 19. Jelgava’s home form had been nearly flawless—seven matches, five wins, and two draws—while Liepāja had struggled away from home, managing just one previous road win this season, a 4-2 result over Metta earlier in May.

Liepāja’s head coach Andreas Alm had to make do without his top scorer Djibril Gueye, who missed the game due to suspension. His absence gave Frenchman Amadou Traoré a rare start in the lineup. On the flip side, Ukrainian midfielder Andriy Korobenko returned from suspension, adding stability to the squad.

Jelgava boss Aleksandrs Basovs also shuffled his lineup, inserting veteran Armands Pētersons and forward Rihards Bečers into the starting eleven, replacing Yahaya Muhammad and Mārcis Peilāns.

From the opening whistle, Alm’s men looked the more composed side, controlling possession and orchestrating attacking movements. Several sharp passes from Melnis carved out promising chances for teammates Mouhamadou Diaw and Ede Oloko, though neither could capitalize. Jelgava struggled to build coherent attacks and mostly relied on counter-attacks to threaten the visitors.

Liepāja nearly broke the deadlock just before halftime. Diaw went on a stunning solo run, sprinting the length of the pitch, dispossessing Pētersons, and beating the last defender Kristers Penkevics. He found himself one-on-one with Jelgava goalkeeper Adam Dvorak, who pulled off a spectacular save to keep the score level.

The second half began cautiously, with few chances for either side. Jelgava had a rare opportunity in the 52nd minute after Liepāja defender Vladislavs Sorokins was fouled near his own box. However, Czech midfielder David Holoubek couldn’t convert the ensuing free kick.

The breakthrough finally came in the 67th minute. A cross into the box was mishandled by Dvorak, who collided with Oloko, leaving the ball to fall kindly to Bruno Melnis, who calmly slotted it into the half-empty net. The goal marked his fourth of the season and was a perfect way to celebrate his first senior national team call-up.

In the dying moments, Jelgava pushed for an equalizer through set-pieces, even sending Dvorak forward for a final attack. But it was Liepāja who nearly doubled their lead with a long clearance that almost found the empty Jelgava net.

The result sees FK Liepāja climb to fourth place in the standings, while Jelgava drops to sixth.

After the international break, Liepāja will travel to face BFC Daugavpils, and Jelgava will host FK Metta in their bid to bounce back.

FS Jelgava vs FK Liepāja – 0:1 (0:0)
Goals: Melnis 67′
JEL: Dvorak, Aļekseičiks, Veips, Yuzvak (Janovskis 83′), Promise, Ullman, Penkevics, Bečers (Peilāns 66′), Pētersons (Muhammad 46′), Holoubek, Emenike (Purs 83′).
LIE: Petkovic, Babic, Isajevs, Iļjins, Sorokins, Purtic, Korobenko, Traore (Dodo 87′), Diaw (Patijčuks 87′), Melnis (Simic 87′), Oloko (Leidsman 87′)

Virslīga Matchday 16 games:

• 29.05.2025 – FK Auda vs FK Metta – 4:1
• 30.05.2025 – FS Jelgava vs FK Liepāja – 0:1
• 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