BFC Daugavpils moved to within one point of fourth-placed Liepāja after Mamadou Sylla scored a stunning hat-trick in a commanding 3-1 home victory in the 22nd round of the Tonybet Virslīga.
The hosts entered the match four points behind Liepāja in the standings, with the two sides having shared the previous two meetings this season. Daugavpils won the first encounter 2-0 at home before Liepāja responded with victory on their own ground.
Liepāja handed Argentine midfielder Leo Strumia his first start since returning to the club for a third spell after almost four years away. However, it proved to be a difficult afternoon for both the midfielder and his team.
Daugavpils looked the more dangerous side from the opening stages, forcing goalkeeper Dāvis Ošs into several saves before finally breaking the deadlock just before half-time. Sylla collected the ball on the right side of the penalty area, beat his defender with an excellent piece of skill and fired into the net to score his third league goal of the season.
The Ivorian winger took over after the break, completing his hat-trick with two headed goals in the space of just a few minutes. He first powered home Joel Yakubu’s cross before rising highest to meet Ziad Ouled’s delivery in the 56th minute, giving Ošs no chance and making it 3-0.
Daugavpils continued to threaten throughout the second half, with Sylla coming close to scoring a fourth goal before Ošs produced another fine save.
Liepāja struggled to create clear-cut opportunities for most of the match but eventually improved late on. Jānis Beks made an outstanding goal-line save to deny Ingars Pūlis’ header before the visitors finally found a consolation goal in stoppage time. Pūlis’ effort eventually fell to Djibril Gueye after Beks had initially saved Joseph Oloko Ede’s shot, allowing the striker to convert from close range.
The defeat was another setback for Liepāja under head coach Vladimir Vasiljev. After securing his first victory with a convincing 4-0 win over Ogre United in the previous round, his side have now lost four of their first five league matches under his management. Despite the defeat, Liepāja remain fourth in the standings.
Daugavpils, meanwhile, climbed to fifth place and now sit just one point behind their rivals. It was only the club’s second victory in their last eight league matches.
Liepāja now turn their attention to European competition, hosting Montenegrin side Dečic in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League on Thursday, while Daugavpils will travel to Latvian second-tier club Riga Mariners in the Latvian Cup next weekend.
BFC Daugavpils vs FK Liepāja – 3-1 (1-0)
Goals: Sylla 41′ 50′ 56′ | Gueye 90+1′
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  RFS |
22 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 54 | 16 | 38 | 56 |
| 2 |  Riga FC |
22 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 65 | 19 | 46 | 55 |
| 3 |  FK Auda |
22 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 37 | 26 | 11 | 40 |
| 4 |  FK Liepāja |
22 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 28 | 34 | -6 | 28 |
| 5 |  BFC Daugavpils |
22 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 25 | 29 | -4 | 27 |
| 6 |  FS Jelgava |
22 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 24 | 38 | -14 | 25 |
| 7 |  Super Nova |
21 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 22 | 33 | -11 | 24 |
| 8 |  FK Tukums 2000 |
21 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 36 | 41 | -5 | 17 |
| 9 |  Grobiņa |
21 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 32 | -20 | 17 |
| 10 |  Ogre United |
21 | 2 | 4 | 15 | 19 | 54 | -35 | 10 |
