Pūlis powers Tukums to vital win in Virslīga relegation battle

In the final match of TonyBet Virslīga Round 23, bottom-half clubs FK Tukums 2000 and FK Grobiņa faced off in a crucial relegation six-pointer. Backed by another stellar performance from star duo Ingars Pūlis and Niks Dusalijevs, Tukums secured a 2–1 home win to climb out of the relegation zone and leapfrog their rivals in the standings.

It was the third meeting between the two sides this season. The series had previously been split, with each team securing a 2–0 home win — Tukums in April and Grobiņa in May. And once again, it was Tukums who came out on top at home, with Pūlis netting both goals and Dusalijevs providing assists for each.

Heading into this clash, Tukums trailed Grobiņa by a single point and sat just above last-placed FK Metta. While Tukums had been in action recently — albeit suffering a 0–4 Latvian Cup defeat to Riga FC — Grobiņa hadn’t played a competitive match in over two weeks and entered the game on a three-match losing streak.

Tukums started strong. In the 11th minute, Raivis Ķiršs tested Grobiņa’s debutant goalkeeper Frenks Dāvids Orols, on loan from RFS, but his shot was handled comfortably. Captain Kaspars Anmanis also tried his luck from distance, just missing the target. However, Tukums eventually broke through just before halftime. After a cleared set-piece, goalkeeper Raivo Stūriņš quickly restarted play, and Dusalijevs found Pūlis sprinting through on goal with a perfect ball. The forward made no mistake in the one-on-one, putting Tukums up 1–0.

Midway through the second half, Grobiņa found their moment. A reckless foul on Jānis Krautmanis inside the box — again involving Dusalijevs — earned a penalty. Despite avoiding a red card, the foul proved costly, as substitute Dēvids Dobrecovs, son of the team’s head coach, calmly converted from the spot to level the match at 1–1.

But Tukums had the final say. Ten minutes from time, it was the Pūlis–Dusalijevs connection again that delivered. This time, Dusalijevs whipped in a cross from the right, which Grobiņa captain Družiņins failed to clear. The ball fell kindly to Pūlis, who volleyed home his 13th goal of the season with one touch. For Dusalijevs, it marked his ninth assist of the campaign.

Grobiņa’s hopes faded further minutes later when Maksims Sidorovs was shown a second yellow card for an accidental blow to an opponent’s face, reducing them to ten men. Despite late pressure, the visitors couldn’t find an equalizer, slumping to a fourth straight defeat.

With this win, FK Tukums climbs to eighth place, overtaking Grobiņa, who now find themselves in ninth and dangerously close to the drop zone.

FK Tukums 2000 vs FK Grobiņa – 2:1 (1:0)
Goals: Pūlis 45′, 82′ | Dobrecovs 71′ (11 m)
TUK: Stūriņš, Valmiers (Reingolcs 46′), Mihoubi, Vientiess, Toba (Joksts 89′), Ķiršs (Derkach 73′), Anmanis (Volkovs 63′), Kholod (Rogovs 73′), Samoilovs, Dusalijevs, Pūlis
GRO: Orols, Tchamba (Bekili 85′), Družiņins, Sidorovs, Krautmanis (Fjodorovs 75′), Morarenko, Grjaznovs (Kļuškins 62′, Kalmarzy 75′), Baravykas, Doudou, Sdegui (Dobrecovs 62′), Gaučis

Virslīga Matchday 23 games:

• 19.07.2025 – FK Liepāja vs Riga FC – 2:3
• 19.06.2025 – FK Metta vs FC RFS – 0:4
• 20.07.2025 – FK Auda vs BFC Daugavpils – 1:3
• 20.07.2025 – FS Jelgava vs SK Super Nova – 1:0
• 21.07.2025 – FK Tukums 2000 vs FK Grobiņa – 2:1