Tonybet Virslīga Matchday 15 saw league leaders RFS secure a 3-1 home victory against FK Tukums 2000 to restore their four-point advantage at the top of the table over reigning champions Riga FC.
The visitors actually produced the first shot on target of the evening already in the second minute, when Bogdans Samoilovs tested goalkeeper Jevgeņijs Nerugals from distance, but the RFS goalkeeper dealt with the effort comfortably.
RFS quickly took control of the game and opened the scoring in the 10th minute. After a corner delivery from Roberts Savalnieks, Serbian striker Darko Lemajic rose highest inside the box and powered a header into the top corner to make it 1-0.
The home side doubled their advantage in somewhat controversial fashion in the 22nd minute. Lemajic’s header crashed against the crossbar before the rebound appeared not to fully cross the goal line, but the referee allowed play to continue and the goal was eventually awarded as an own goal to Tukums goalkeeper Ivans Baturins.
Despite trailing by two goals, Tukums created several dangerous counterattacks before halftime. Ede Oloko came closest but narrowly missed the target after a fast break.
RFS were then forced into an early change in the first half when Georgian winger Lasha Odisharia picked up another hamstring injury and had to be substituted in the 36th minute, with Mor Talla replacing him.
The visitors found a way back into the game in the 60th minute. After a major mistake from Haruna Njie, Roberts Meļķis had a one versus one chance against goalkeeper with Nerugals making a great initial save, but the rebound got to the path of Ede Oloko inside the six-yard box and from a close range he scored his league leading 14 goal of the season.
However, any hopes of a comeback lasted only five minutes. Once again Savaļnieks delivered a dangerous ball from a set piece and Slovenian defender Žiga Lipušček headed home from close range to restore RFS’ two-goal cushion.
RFS continued to threaten in the closing stages and nearly added a fourth goal when Mor Talla struck the post in the 71st minute. They even thought they had scored a fourth late on through substitute and former FK Tukums 2000 player Niks Dusalijevs, who is currently on loan at RFS, after he found the net with a long-range strike. However, the goal was disallowed for offside, as Stefan Panic was standing in an offside position and was judged to have interfered with goalkeeper Ivans Baturins’s vision, prompting the assistant referee to raise the flag.
The victory allows RFS to maintain a four-point lead over Riga FC at the top of the Tonybet Virslīga standings, while Tukums remain level on 13 points with FK Grobiņa and FS Jelgava in the tightly packed battle between seventh and ninth place.
FC RFS vs FK Tukums 2000 – 3-1 (2-0)
Goals: Lemajic 10′, Baturins 22′ (Own goal’), Lipušček 65′ | Oloko 60′
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  RFS |
15 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 36 | 10 | 26 | 40 |
| 2 |  Riga FC |
15 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 48 | 17 | 31 | 36 |
| 3 |  FK Auda |
14 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 29 | 20 | 9 | 28 |
| 4 |  Super Nova |
15 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 17 | 21 | -4 | 20 |
| 5 |  FK Liepāja |
14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 17 | 22 | -5 | 18 |
| 6 |  BFC Daugavpils |
14 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 18 | 22 | -4 | 17 |
| 7 |  FK Tukums 2000 |
15 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 29 | 27 | 2 | 13 |
| 8 |  Grobiņa |
15 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 24 | -14 | 13 |
| 9 |  FS Jelgava |
14 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 28 | -18 | 13 |
| 10 |  Ogre United |
15 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 13 | 36 | -23 | 4 |
