Riga FC produced a dominant second-half display to defeat FK Grobiņa 4-0 in the 25th round of the Tonybet Virslīga, with Brazilian striker Reginaldo Ramires scoring twice as the champions moved back to within one point of league leaders RFS.
The visitors nearly made the perfect start, creating the first major chance of the match inside the opening minutes. Canadian Ali Aruna found himself in an excellent position, but Riga goalkeeper Frenks Dāvids Orols reacted brilliantly to keep the scores level.
Riga struggled to find their rhythm during a lacklustre first half, failing to create any clear-cut opportunities against Roberts Ozols, with their best efforts coming from long-range shots that failed to trouble the Grobiņa goalkeeper.
The game changed completely after the break. Head coach Adrian Guľa made a triple substitution at half-time, introducing Baba Musah, Raivis Jurkovskis and Abdulrahman Taiwo, and the changes had an immediate impact.
Just five minutes into the second half, Taiwo broke the deadlock, heading home his first Virslīga goal of the season after previously starring in Riga’s UEFA Conference League victory over Vardar.
Riga doubled their advantage ten minutes later when a dangerous cross into the box ended with defender Krišjānis Rupeiks diverting the ball into his own net under pressure from Meissa Diop, with the goal eventually recorded as an own goal.
The home side continued to dominate and put the result beyond doubt through Reginaldo Ramires, who finished off two well-worked attacking moves within seven minutes to complete a convincing 4-0 victory. Riga could have added further goals late on, but Ozols produced several fine saves to prevent an even heavier defeat.
The win moves Riga FC back to within one point of league leaders RFS, while Grobiņa remain eighth in the standings.
Riga now switch their attention back to Europe, where they host Hungarian champions Gyor on Thursday in the first leg of the UEFA Conference League third qualifying round. Grobiņa return to league action on 10 August with another difficult away fixture against RFS.
Riga FC vs FK Grobiņa – 4-0 (0-0)
Goals: Taiwo 51′, Rupeiks 61′ (Own goal), Ramires 75′ 82′
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  RFS |
24 | 20 | 2 | 2 | 56 | 16 | 40 | 62 |
| 2 |  Riga FC |
24 | 19 | 4 | 1 | 72 | 20 | 52 | 61 |
| 3 |  FK Auda |
23 | 13 | 4 | 6 | 38 | 26 | 12 | 43 |
| 4 |  BFC Daugavpils |
25 | 9 | 6 | 10 | 31 | 31 | 0 | 33 |
| 5 |  FK Liepāja |
24 | 9 | 4 | 11 | 31 | 36 | -5 | 31 |
| 6 |  Super Nova |
23 | 8 | 3 | 12 | 25 | 35 | -10 | 27 |
| 7 |  FS Jelgava |
25 | 6 | 7 | 12 | 25 | 43 | -18 | 25 |
| 8 |  Grobiņa |
25 | 4 | 9 | 12 | 17 | 41 | -24 | 21 |
| 9 |  FK Tukums 2000 |
25 | 4 | 8 | 13 | 40 | 49 | -9 | 20 |
| 10 |  Ogre United |
24 | 3 | 5 | 16 | 23 | 61 | -38 | 14 |
