Riga FC keep slim title hopes alive with a win against Grobiņa

Riga FC kept their slim hopes of winning the Latvian Virslīga title alive with a 5-2 away victory over Grobiņa in the 34th round of the season. Muhammed Badamosi scored twice as the visitors raced into a four-goal lead inside the opening 28 minutes, with Grobiņa reduced to ten men early in the contest.

Following RFS’ 3-0 victory over Super Nova on Sunday, Riga FC entered Monday’s encounter knowing that anything other than a victory would hand the championship to their city rivals. Adrian Guľa’s side responded with a ruthless opening half, effectively putting the match beyond Grobiņa’s reach before the half-hour mark.

The visitors needed just four minutes to break the deadlock. A quick attacking move saw Riga work the ball into the penalty area, where Badamosi set up Samuel Pedro for a straightforward finish from close range. The goal was reviewed by VAR, but no infringement was found, allowing Riga to celebrate an early 1-0 advantage.

Grobiņa’s afternoon went from bad to worse in the 12th minute when Aleksa Jovanovic brought down Pedro inside the penalty area. The referee awarded a penalty and showed the defender a straight red card, leaving the hosts facing an uphill battle with ten men. Badamosi stepped up to convert the resulting spot kick, placing his effort into the bottom-left corner to double Riga’s lead after just 13 minutes.

The visitors continued to exploit their numerical advantage and added a third goal in the 17th minute. Ahmed Ankrah delivered a cross from the right flank, finding Coli Saco, who finished from a tight angle to make it 3-0.

Grobiņa responded by making two substitutions in the 18th minute, introducing Glebs Kļuškins and Gustavs Leitāns in an attempt to reorganise their depleted side. However, the changes did little to stop Riga’s attacking momentum.

In the 28th minute, Salah Oulad M’Hand delivered an accurate cross into the penalty area, where Badamosi rose to head the ball past goalkeeper Roberts Ozols. The Gambian striker’s second goal of the evening extended Riga’s advantage to 4-0, completing a devastating opening half-hour for the visitors.

The first half also featured a concerning incident involving Grobiņa midfielder Milan Corryn. In the 38th minute, the Belgian was struck in the head by Antonijs Černomordijs’ boot during a challenge, resulting in a yellow card for the Riga captain.

Although Corryn initially continued playing, he collapsed shortly afterwards, prompting Riga defender Raivis Jurkovskis to urgently signal for medical assistance. The Grobiņa player was eventually carried off on a stretcher and taken to a medical facility, with Artjoms Puzirevskis replacing him in first-half stoppage time.

Guľa made two changes at half-time, introducing Abner and Emmanuel Maviram in place of Karl Wassom and Andres Salazar. The visitors continued to create opportunities after the restart. Oulad M’Hand forced Ozols into a save in the 48th minute, while Jurkovskis struck the post just a minute later. Badamosi also came close to completing his hat-trick, directing a header narrowly over the crossbar following a cross from Pedro.

Riga eventually added a fifth goal in the 67th minute, with Oulad M’Hand producing one of the highlights of the evening. After receiving a pass from Černomordijs, the midfielder unleashed a superb left-footed strike from outside the penalty area into the top-right corner, leaving Ozols with no chance.

With the visitors leading 5-0, the match appeared destined for a comfortable conclusion. However, Grobiņa managed to restore some pride during the closing stages through substitute Puzirevskis.

In the 79th minute, the forward finished a counterattack with a precise right-footed effort into the bottom-right corner after receiving a pass from Maksims Sidorovs, reducing the deficit to 5-1.

Ten minutes later, Puzirevskis struck again. Following another quick counterattack, Ivan Tyshchenko found the forward, who produced an excellent finish from outside the penalty area to beat the Riga goalkeeper and complete his brace.

Despite conceding twice in the final stages, Riga comfortably secured a 5-2 victory to remain mathematically in contention for the Virslīga title.

With two rounds remaining, RFS hold a four-point advantage over Riga FC. To retain their championship hopes, Guļa’s side must win both remaining matches, including the head-to-head encounter against RFS, while hoping their rivals also lose their other fixture against Grobiņa.

RFS can secure the championship with a victory over Grobiņa in the next round, which would put the title beyond Riga’s reach regardless of the result in the final derby.

FK Grobiņa vs Riga FC – 2-5 (0-4)
Goals: Puzirevskis 79′ 89′ | Pedro 4′, Badamosi 13′ (Penalty kick) 28′, Saco 17′, Oulad 67′