*By Jānis Vītols
Four-time Latvian champions Riga FC are once again one step away from reaching the league phase of a major UEFA competition. Three times before, the club have stood at this exact stage. Three times, they have come painfully close. On Thursday evening, against KI Klaksvik at Skonto Stadium, they have another chance to finally get over the hump.
On what could become one of the most important nights in the club’s history, it is worth looking back at the three previous occasions when Riga FC were close to breaking through – and the painful lessons that followed.
Copenhagen escape through the eye of a needle
Riga FC’s first major European play-off heartbreak came in the 2019/20 season, during only the club’s second European campaign.
After making their continental debut the previous year with a painful penalty shootout defeat to CSKA Sofia, Riga returned to Europe as Latvian champions. Their campaign began with another shootout defeat, this time against Irish side Dundalk in the Champions League, but their European run continued.
Benefiting from the away goals rule, Riga then eliminated Polish champions Piast Gliwice and Finnish champions HJK Helsinki. That left only Danish champions Copenhagen standing between the Latvian side and a place in the UEFA Europa League group stage.
The first leg in Copenhagen was a difficult one. Young goalkeeper Roberts Ozols produced several outstanding saves, but the hosts still took the lead in the 18th minute. Riga, however, responded before half-time when Vladimirs Kamešs broke in behind the defence and finished a one-on-one chance to make it 1-1.
The second half brought a highly controversial moment. A penalty was awarded against Stefan Panić for handball – the same Serbian midfielder who would later spend several seasons with Riga’s biggest rivals RFS – and Copenhagen converted to restore their lead. Half a minute before the final whistle, the Danish side added another goal, making it 3-1 and giving themselves a two-goal cushion before the return leg in Riga. That late goal would prove decisive.
In the second leg, in front of a packed Skonto Stadium, Riga FC produced one of the finest European performances in the club’s young history. In the 75th minute, Brazilian midfielder Felipe Brisola struck from outside the penalty area to make it 1-0 on the night and revive belief in a comeback.
Even today, many remember will remember Deniss Rakels’ chance in the 89th minute. His header was saved by the Copenhagen goalkeeper, leaving the crowd gasping and the Danish club hanging on with fear. Had Rakels scored, the aggregate score would have been 3-3 – and with the away goals rule still in place, Riga FC would have gone through.
Instead, Copenhagen survived and reached the Europa League group stage for the fourth season in a row. For Riga, despite the pain, that night created belief. FK Ventspils’ miracle from more than a decade earlier no longer felt impossible to repeat. Riga FC were knocking on the door.
Catastrophe in Gibraltar: The darkest night in Riga FC history
The summer of 2021 remains one of the darkest chapters in Latvian club football.
UEFA had introduced the new Conference League, giving clubs from smaller European leagues a more realistic path to autumn football. Riga FC, as Latvian champions, looked perfectly placed to take advantage. Instead, the season became one of the most turbulent in the club’s history.
Denis Laktionov began the campaign as head coach, although for much of the early season he was forced to watch from the stands while documentation issues were being resolved. Once finally on the bench, he lasted only seven matches, winning just four before being dismissed less than two months before the start of the European campaign.
Then came a major Latvian football storyline: long-time FK Metta coach Andris Riherts was appointed as Riga FC manager. The domestic season had already started unevenly, and the team did not look fully ready for Europe. There were narrow wins over the later-disqualified Noah Jūrmala, a derby defeat to RFS and another loss against Liepāja.
Riga began their Champions League qualifying campaign against Swedish champions Malmo. In the away leg, forward Yunusa Muritala – who had been scoring freely for Metta before following Riherts to Rīga – was sent off. Riga lost only 0-1, but the performance was difficult to watch, with the Latvian champions managing just one shot on goal.
The return leg at Skonto Stadium, played under COVID restrictions and therefore not in front of a full crowd, again showed Riga’s fighting spirit. Malmö took the lead, but Riga responded in the second half through Ivan Paurevic. Once again, one goal separated Riga from keeping the tie alive, this time at least to force extra time, as the away goals rule had been abolished from that season.
Just as against Copenhagen two years earlier, Riga pushed late. And just as against Copenhagen, they had a huge chance in stoppage time. Kule Mbombo found himself in a promising position in the middle of the penalty area, but his effort lacked clean contact and the Malmo goalkeeper gathered it. The Swedish champions escaped.
Riga’s European road, however, was not over. After a convincing aggregate win over North Macedonian side Shkendija, they faced what looked like a more manageable opponent in Hibernians of Malta. But warning signs appeared again. After losing at home, Riga had to survive an extra-time battle away to progress and move within one step of the Conference League group stage.
Then came Lincoln Red Imps. After a draw in Riga, the return leg in Gibraltar became a must-win battle against what should have been a beatable opponent. Yury Vakulko gave Riga the lead midway through the first half, but Lincoln equalised from the penalty spot before the break.
The match went to extra time, where one of the most painful moments in Riga FC history unfolded. In the 105th minute, Roy Chipolina – a name that has since entered Latvian football folklore for all the wrong reasons – headed Lincoln in front from a corner. Deep into stoppage time of the second period of extra time, the Gibraltar side added a third goal, ending Riga’s dream and becoming the first club from Gibraltar to reach the group stage of a UEFA competition.
In hindsight, that defeat changed Riga FC as an organisation. Riherts was dismissed shortly afterwards, internal turbulence continued, and the season ended with the club’s worst league finish since their first year in the Virslīga. Riga finished fourth and lost their status as Latvia’s strongest club. Their next Latvian title would not arrive until four years later, in 2025.
Sparta Prague escape with a scare
After three quieter European seasons, during which Riga FC were eliminated from the Conference League main path by Gil Vicente, Twente and Slask Wroclaw, the club finally returned to the play-off round last summer.
Victories over Dila Gori and Beitar Jerusalem in the second and third qualifying rounds brought Riga back to within one tie of the Conference League league phase. This time, the opponent was another heavyweight – Czech giants Sparta Prague.
The 38-time Czech champions took a 1-0 lead in the first leg at home and kept that advantage for much of the match. But just as in 2019 against Copenhagen, Riga conceded a frustrating late goal that changed the entire picture. Instead of returning to Skonto Stadium with only one goal to overturn, they once again had to chase a two-goal deficit.
And once again, Skonto Stadium witnessed a strong Riga FC European performance.
Just like six years earlier, Riga scored in the second half to keep the tie alive. This time it was another Brazilian, Iago Siqueira, who gave the Latvian club hope. The sense of deja vu only grew stronger in stoppage time, when Riga created the chance that could have forced extra time.
In 2019, it had been Deniss Rakels. This time it was Marko Regža. The Latvian striker worked himself into an excellent shooting position, but his effort went just wide, prompting another collective gasp from the Skonto Stadium crowd.
Once again, Riga FC had come close. Once again, the barrier remained unbroken.
Against Klaksvik, the demons must be driven out
For a club that has existed in Latvian football for only a decade, Riga FC have already achieved plenty. They are four-time Latvian champions, regular European participants and one of the most ambitious organisations in Baltic football.
But in Europe, luck has rarely been on their side.This season has already brought another painful moment, with Riga failing to overcome Ararat-Armenia in the Champions League first qualifying round. Head coach Adrian Gul’a looked devastated after that defeat at Skonto Stadium, but his message was clear: forget it, keep working and keep fighting.
That approach has brought Riga FC back to the edge of history. Gul’a is already the longest-serving head coach in Riga FC history. He was not there for the heartbreaks against Copenhagen or Lincoln Red Imps, but he understands what this opportunity means for the club. Thursday night is not only about beating KI Klaksvik. It is about overcoming years of frustration, from CSKA Sofia to Copenhagen, from Lincoln Red Imps to Sparta Prague, and now to the Faroese champions.
Riga FC’s 50th European match could become the night the club finally turns pain into history. Whether the first league-phase game is played at Skonto Stadium or away from home, the dream is simple: to walk out in October with the UEFA Conference League anthem playing, as the third Latvian club ever to reach the main stage of a UEFA competition.
First, they must win on Thursday.
And after three painful near-misses, Riga FC will hope that this time, the fourth attempt is finally the lucky one.
