FK Liepāja claimed their first Tonybet Virslīga away victory since 23 April after producing a dominant first-half display to defeat FS Jelgava 2-0 in the 24th round of the Latvian top flight.
The visitors wasted little time taking control, opening the scoring inside the opening minute. Vladislavs Sorokins delivered an inviting cross that Joseph Ede Oloko met with a header, but goalkeeper Adam Dvorak produced an excellent save. The rebound fell to Daņila Patijčuks, who unselfishly squared the ball back across goal for Oloko to tap home his 18th league goal of the season.
Liepāja continued to dictate proceedings throughout the first half, enjoying the majority of possession and creating the better chances. Jelgava’s best opportunity came when Gļebs Žaleiko created space for himself outside the penalty area before rattling the crossbar with a powerful left-footed strike.
The visitors deservedly doubled their advantage before the break through an excellent counter-attacking move. Amar Haidara collected the ball inside his own half and burst down the left flank before delivering a dangerous low cross across the face of goal. Running to the far side was Abiodun Ogunniyi, who calmly converted with his first touch to score his first Virslīga goal of the season.
Liepāja’s attacking intensity eased after the interval, although Dvorak was still required to make several saves to keep the deficit at two goals. Jelgava thought they had been handed a route back into the match in the 61st minute when referee pointed to the penalty spot after Tomaš Rataj went down inside the box. However, following a VAR review, it became clear that the Czech striker had stepped on the foot of Liepāja midfielder Leonel Strumia rather than being fouled himself, prompting the referee to overturn the decision.
The home side continued to push for a goal and came agonisingly close when Rihards Bečers struck the post. Moments later, Rataj won a duel with a Liepāja defender to create another promising opportunity, but his effort drifted narrowly wide.
The visitors comfortably saw out the closing stages to secure all three points and end a wait of more than three months for an away league victory.
The win lifts Liepāja into fourth place in the Virslīga standings, moving above BFC Daugavpils ahead of Thursday’s UEFA Conference League second-leg clash away to Austria Wien. Jelgava, meanwhile, remain seventh and have now gone four consecutive matches in all competitions without scoring a goal, leaving them six points behind fourth-placed Liepāja.
FS Jelgava vs FK Liepāja – 0-2 (0-2)
Goals: Oloko 1′, Ogunniyi 27′
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  RFS |
23 | 19 | 2 | 2 | 55 | 16 | 39 | 59 |
| 2 |  Riga FC |
23 | 18 | 4 | 1 | 68 | 20 | 48 | 58 |
| 3 |  FK Auda |
23 | 13 | 4 | 6 | 38 | 26 | 12 | 43 |
| 4 |  FK Liepāja |
23 | 9 | 4 | 10 | 30 | 34 | -4 | 31 |
| 5 |  BFC Daugavpils |
24 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 29 | 30 | -1 | 30 |
| 6 |  Super Nova |
23 | 8 | 3 | 12 | 25 | 35 | -10 | 27 |
| 7 |  FS Jelgava |
24 | 6 | 7 | 11 | 24 | 41 | -17 | 25 |
| 8 |  Grobiņa |
23 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 15 | 35 | -20 | 20 |
| 9 |  FK Tukums 2000 |
23 | 3 | 8 | 12 | 38 | 47 | -9 | 17 |
| 10 |  Ogre United |
23 | 3 | 4 | 16 | 21 | 59 | -38 | 13 |
