Melnis scores again Liepāja defeats Auda to climb to third place in the table

In the highlight match of the 24th round of the TonyBet Latvian Virslīga, FK Liepāja pushed FK Auda deeper into their slump with a confident 2–0 home victory, leapfrogging them into third place in the league standings.

Following a painful loss to Riga FC in the previous round, Liepāja head coach Andreas Alm kept faith in his starting eleven, making no changes to the lineup. Meanwhile, FK Auda – reeling from their recent European exit and a defeat against BFC Daugavpils – fielded their strongest possible side in an effort to bounce back.

This fixture held immense importance for both sides, with BFC Daugavpils breathing down their necks and just two points separating Auda and Liepāja. Earlier this season, Auda had the upper hand in their meetings: a dominant 3-0 win in their first clash and a goalless draw in the return match at the end of May.

From the opening whistle, the initiative belonged to the home side. Their persistence paid off in the 27th minute when a brilliant team move culminated in Vladislavs Sorokins delivering a pinpoint assist to Bruno Melnis, who found the back of the net despite being surrounded by defenders – 1-0 to Liepāja.

After the break, Auda’s coach Jurģis Kalns immediately made two substitutions to spark a comeback. While Auda’s attack showed more energy and threat in the second half, they couldn’t break through Liepāja’s disciplined defense, with goalkeeper Danijel Petković making several key saves.

In the 68th minute, Liepāja doubled their lead. Substitute Dodo was in the right place at the right time to tap in Tresor Samba’s low cross at the far post, securing his second goal of the season and sealing the win for the home side – 2-0.

In the final stretch of the match, Auda failed to mount any meaningful threats, allowing Liepāja to comfortably hold on for their first win over Auda this season.

With this result, FK Liepāja climbs to third place in the table, overtaking Auda. Next up, Liepāja will travel to face FS Jelgava next Saturday, while FK Auda will host FK Metta the following day.

FK Liepāja vs FK Auda – 2:0 (1:0)
Goals: Melnis 28′, Dodo 68′
LIE: Petkovic, Iļjins, Babic, Girdvainis, Sorokins, Lausic (Saveļjevs 90’+4), Korobenko, Traore (Patijčuks 65′), Melnis (Ogunniyi 81′), Gueye (Dodo 65′), Leidsman (Samba 65′)
AUD: Ozols, Erquiaga, Eduardo, Meļņiks, Hrvoj (Ouedraogo 46′), Kragļiks (Ogunji 46′), Nguena, Varslavāns, Clemente (Stevenson 78′), Rubenis (Ramiro 73′), Monteiro (Traore 64′)

Virslīga Matchday 24 games:

• 26.07.2025 – SK Super Nova vs FK Grobiņa – 0:0
• 26.07.2025 – FC RFS vs FK Tukums 2000 – 6:2
• 27.07.2025 – BFC Daugavpils vs FS Jelgava – 2:0
• 27.07.2025 – FK Liepāja vs FK Auda – 2:0
• 27.07.2025 – Riga FC vs FK Metta – 18:00