Tonybet Virslīga Round 15 brought more uncertainty around FK Liepāja, as the club played out a 1-1 away draw against FS Jelgava while major changes appear to be looming behind the scenes.
Earlier in the day reports emerged that FK Liepāja had parted ways with Swedish head coach Andreas Alm, who joined the club last year. Alm himself was absent from the touchline and not listed in the official match squad, with assistant coach Jānis Goba instead registered as acting head coach. Liepāja’s press service later clarified to sportacentrs.com that Alm’s contract technically remains active and negotiations are still ongoing, leaving open the possibility that the previous match may already have been his final game in charge.
Liepāja started the match aggressively and immediately put pressure on the Jelgava defence. The visitors earned multiple early corners, while Chovanie Amatkarijo and Kyvon Leidsman both saw efforts blocked inside the opening minutes.
However, the match quickly turned chaotic for the visitors due to injuries. Rodolphe Ekou was forced off in the 23rd minute and was replaced by Andriy Korobenko, while Vjačeslavs Isajevs also had to leave the pitch only five minutes later.
Jelgava took advantage of the instability in the 26th minute after a major mistake from Liepāja goalkeeper Danijel Petković. Following a back pass, the Montenegrin goalkeeper’s heavy first touch gifted possession directly to Czech striker Tomaš Rataj, who calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner from close range to make it 1-0.
The home side nearly doubled the lead before halftime when Filip Hasek missed a good opportunity from inside the penalty area, while Liepāja struggled to create clear chances despite dominating possession and territory.
The visitors responded more aggressively after the break. Amar Haidara was introduced at halftime and gave Liepāja more pace in attack, while Fellipe Vieira became increasingly influential between the lines.
Liepāja finally found the equaliser in the 73rd minute. Vieira drove forward before slipping a pass into Kyvon Leidsman inside the box, and the Dutch forward finished confidently into the bottom corner to level the score at 1-1.
Jelgava still had opportunities to reclaim the lead late in the match. Rihards Bečers struck the post from a difficult angle in the 81st minute, while Alans Kangars fired over from a dangerous position during stoppage time.
At the other end, Fellipe Vieira almost won it for Liepāja deep into added time, but Adam Dvorak produced an excellent save to deny the attacker from the top corner.
The result mirrored the first-round meeting between the two sides in Liepāja, which had also ended 1-1.
Before the international break, Liepāja will host FK Tukums 2000 on Saturday, while Jelgava remain at home to face BFC Daugavpils on Sunday.
FS Jelgava vs FK Liepāja – 1-1 (1-0)
Goals: Rataj 26′ | Leidsman 73′
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  RFS |
15 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 36 | 10 | 26 | 40 |
| 2 |  Riga FC |
15 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 48 | 17 | 31 | 36 |
| 3 |  FK Auda |
15 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 30 | 20 | 10 | 31 |
| 4 |  Super Nova |
15 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 17 | 21 | -4 | 20 |
| 5 |  FK Liepāja |
15 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 18 | 23 | -5 | 19 |
| 6 |  BFC Daugavpils |
15 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 18 | 23 | -5 | 17 |
| 7 |  FS Jelgava |
15 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 29 | -18 | 14 |
| 8 |  FK Tukums 2000 |
15 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 29 | 27 | 2 | 13 |
| 9 |  Grobiņa |
15 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 24 | -14 | 13 |
| 10 |  Ogre United |
15 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 13 | 36 | -23 | 4 |
