Marko Regža (26), Riga FC striker and their all-time best goal-scorer, made his first start for the Latvian national team on Friday, marking his return to international duty for the first time since last September. It was also his first appearance for the national side since the Baltic Cup last June. Despite playing just over an hour, Regža couldn’t break the deadlock in a 0–0 draw against Azerbaijan.
“The coach’s instruction was simple: show my best performance and don’t stress—and I think I managed that,” the 26-year-old told in an interview with sportacentrs.com. “Still, I should have put away at least one of those chances. As a striker, the important thing is that you’re getting opportunities, and I hope I’ll convert in the next games. The clearest one was in the second half when Cigaņiks crossed it in, but the defender played it well—he flew into my body right as I was striking and knocked me off balance. That’s why I didn’t hit the ball cleanly.”
Regža admitted Latvia had expected a different tactical setup from Azerbaijan. “From our analysis, it looked like they’d play differently. But they came out with three central defenders, and it made it a bit harder to adjust and figure out how to build attacks. Our emphasis was on set pieces—we practiced them a lot in training. Some of that came off, like in the first half when Vapne played a ball in to me.”
He acknowledged that operating as the lone striker in Latvia’s 5-4-1 formation was a change. “It felt a bit lonely playing against their back three. The midfielders tried to support me so I wouldn’t have to run endlessly back and forth, but it was a bit unfamiliar since we play differently at the club. At Riga, we press high. Here, we allowed them to keep possession more, and the challenge was figuring out the right moment to start pressing. I hope I got that right. Our plan was to let their centre-backs bring the ball up, and once they reached midfield, force them to one side so they’d be pressured into a long ball. Then we’d fight for the second ball and begin our own attack.”
Regža also admitted the call-up came as a surprise. “Honestly, I didn’t really expect it, but with [Uldriķis, Šits, Krollis] all injured, I guess I was next in line and earned the call. Hopefully I also showed enough in training to be called up again. There’s strong competition in attack, and it’s a bit tougher for me because I’m playing in Latvia—most of the other forwards are based abroad. That’s why, with my contract at Riga ending in December, I’m starting to think more seriously about the next step.”
“For now, my contract runs until December. I’m staying, focused on doing my job until then. We’re top of the table, so my only goal this year is to win the league title. After that—we’ll see. Life changes quickly. Maybe other strikers [at the club] made a few mistakes, and that’s how I got my chance. Maybe I need to take more risks, create more chances, take more initiative—and that might lead to more playing time. The expectations at club and national team level are different. At the club, there’s a big emphasis on pressing, which isn’t really my biggest strength. I’m strongest in the penalty area—finishing attacks with one or two touches. In the national team, they want me to improve my ball retention, so we can transition from defense into attack through me.”
With his contract set to expire in December, Regža finds himself at a crossroads. The top priority remains clear: win the league with Riga. But beyond that lies a broader ambition—a push for more minutes, a move abroad, a step forward. Between club demands for high pressing and the national team’s call for hold-up play, Regža is navigating two different footballing worlds. And if he can sharpen both sides of his game, this quiet night against Azerbaijan might just be the beginning of something bigger.
Source: https://sportacentrs.com/futbols/latvijas_izlase/07062025-regza_citi_izlases_uzbruceji_spele_arzeme
