The opening match of the Tonybet Virslīga’s 13th round delivered plenty of drama as FK Grobiņa failed to hold onto an early two-goal advantage, eventually settling for an entertaining 3-3 draw at home against FK Tukums 2000.
The visitors from Tukums suffered a nightmare start almost immediately. Just 20 seconds into the match, Grobiņa struck with their very first attack. After winning possession and launching a quick transition, Artjoms Puzirevskis finished clinically to hand Oskars Kļava’s side the perfect opening.
Tukums attempted to respond through a long-range free-kick effort from Bogdans Samoilovs, but Grobiņa goalkeeper Vjačeslavs Kudrjavcevs dealt with it comfortably. The difficult opening for the visitors only became worse in the 11th minute when Grobiņa doubled their lead. Maksims Sidorovs collected his second assist of the evening, this time finding Ukrainian forward Artem Kholod, who scored against his former club to make it 2-0.
However, Tukums reacted instantly. Less than ten seconds after the restart, a costly mistake from Aleksandrs Molotkov while receiving the ball allowed Rūdolfs Meļķis to pounce and steal possession. The ball eventually reached Brazilian attacker Leoni, who calmly finished with his left foot into the far corner to reduce the deficit.
Leoni’s evening was cut short in the 35th minute due to injury, but his replacement proved decisive. Twenty-one-year-old Ruslans Deružinskis came off the bench and scored his fifth league goal of the season right before halftime after Grobiņa’s defence failed to properly clear a cross, allowing the striker to equalise from close range.
While the second half slowed down compared to the frantic opening period, the goals still continued to arrive. In the 64th minute Grobiņa regained the lead through an unfortunate own goal from Deružinskis following a corner kick, restoring the home side’s advantage.
Yet Tukums once again showed resilience. Deep into the 90th minute, Nigerian striker Ede Oloko rescued another point for the visitors. After a cross from Martins Štāls, Oloko powered an emphatic finish from a tight angle into the net to make it 3-3. The goal also strengthened his position at the top of the Virslīga scoring charts, with the Nigerian now sitting on 12 goals for the season, two ahead of Josue Vergara from FK Auda.
Neither side could find a winner during the five minutes of added time, forcing the teams to share points for the second time this season.
The result keeps both clubs next to each other in the standings. Tukums remain seventh with 13 points from 13 matches, while Grobiņa sit one place lower with 12 points.
Grobiņa will now remain at home for another match on Wednesday against SK Super Nova, while Tukums prepare to host reigning champions Riga FC – the same side they drew 3-3 with earlier this season when Ede Oloko scored a hat-trick back in early April.
FK Grobiņa vs FK Tukums 2000 – 3-3 (2-2)
Goals: Puzirevskis 1′, Kholod 11′, Deružinskis 64′ (Own goal) | Leoni 13′, Deružinskis 45′, Oloko 90′
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  RFS |
12 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 26 | 9 | 17 | 31 |
| 2 |  Riga FC |
12 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 40 | 14 | 26 | 29 |
| 3 |  FK Auda |
12 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 26 | 16 | 10 | 25 |
| 4 |  FK Liepāja |
12 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 14 | 18 | -4 | 15 |
| 5 |  BFC Daugavpils |
12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 14 | 19 | -5 | 14 |
| 6 |  Super Nova |
12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 17 | -5 | 14 |
| 7 |  FK Tukums 2000 |
13 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 27 | 21 | 6 | 13 |
| 8 |  Grobiņa |
13 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 21 | -12 | 12 |
| 9 |  FS Jelgava |
12 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 22 | -14 | 12 |
| 10 |  Ogre United |
12 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 10 | 29 | -19 | 3 |
