The European campaign came to an end for Virslīga leaders RFS, who were unable to overturn their first-leg deficit as they fell 1-2 at home to Czech side Jablonec, losing 1-4 on aggregate in the UEFA Conference League third qualifying round.
Head coach Viktors Morozs was without midfielder Mārtiņš Ķigurs, who missed out completely, while Portuguese summer signing Alfa Balde came into the starting line-up after scoring in the weekend’s Virslīga victory over Grobiņa.
The visitors made the perfect start in the 10th minute when a routine effort from outside the box deceived goalkeeper Rihards Matrevics. The ball bounced awkwardly in front of him, slipped through his hands and into the net to give Jablonec a 1-0 lead on the night and 3-0 on aggregate.
RFS’ task became even harder in the 22nd minute. A long ball released a Gambian forward behind the defence before Herdi Prenga brought him down inside the penalty area. Sebastian Nebyla converted the resulting penalty to leave the Latvian side facing a four-goal aggregate deficit.
The hosts struggled to create clear-cut opportunities against Jablonec’s well-organised and physical defence, but found a lifeline in the 38th minute. Dmitrijs Zelenkovs delivered a corner that Žiga Lipušček powered into the net, reducing the deficit to 2-1 on the night.
RFS dominated possession after the break and spent long periods inside the visitors’ half, but lacked the quality in the final third to seriously threaten a comeback. Their best opportunity arrived in the 81st minute when Jānis Ikaunieks was left completely unmarked at the far post, only to head straight at the goalkeeper from close range.
Any remaining hopes disappeared two minutes later when Aleksandar Filipovic was shown a second yellow card, forcing RFS to finish the match with ten men. Despite that setback, the Latvian champions continued to push forward, with Ikaunieks and substitute Darko Lemajic both going close late on.
RFS ultimately fell 1-2 on the night and 1-4 on aggregate, bringing their European campaign to an end at the third qualifying round.
FC RFS vs Jablonec – 1-2 (1-2) – 1-4 on aggregate
Goals: Lipušček 38′ | Sedlacek 4′, Nebyla 22′ (Penalty kick)
