Latvia’s national football team played out a 0-0 draw in a friendly match against North Macedonia in Skopje. Goalkeeper Rihards Matrevics, who plays his club football in the Czech Republic, kept a clean sheet, while Andrejs Cigaņiks set a new national team record by making his 60th consecutive appearance for Latvia.
Head coach Paolo Nicolato made a few notable adjustments to the starting lineup for the friendly, giving Matrevics a chance to start in goal – his first appearance in National team shirt since the summer and only his second of the year. Meanwhile, Antonijs Černomordijs and Cigaņiks, both suspended for the upcoming World Cup qualifier against Serbia, began in the starting eleven. Despite the friendly nature of the match, Nicolato opted for his strongest possible lineup, avoiding major experiments.
Latvia started brightly as a few seconds in the game the visitors had their first shot on target when Vladislavs Gutkovskis forced North Macedonia’s goalkeeper Dimitrievski into an early save. The energetic forward remained a constant threat, coming close twice more in the first half – first sending a diving header just over the bar, then being denied from close range by a superb reflex stop on the goal line.
At the other end, Matrevics was also kept busy. Late in the first half, he produced an excellent double save following a corner, denying defender Nikola Serafimov twice in quick succession to keep the score level. The teams went into halftime still deadlocked at 0-0.
In the second half, Nicolato made several substitutions, giving minutes to players who had seen less action during qualification. Latvia’s best chance after the break fell to Jānis Ikaunieks, whose long-range effort from about 20 meters surprised Dimitrievski and clipped the crossbar.
Matrevics remained solid throughout, handling several dangerous moments with confidence and preserving a clean sheet on his return to the starting lineup. His strong performance sent a clear message that he is ready to reclaim the No. 1 goalkeeper role ahead of Latvia’s final World Cup qualifier against Serbia in three days’ time.
North Macedonia vs Latvia – 0:0 (0:0)
