Riga FC storm past Liepāja to move top of the Virslīga table

The hosts settled quickly and needed just eight minutes to break the deadlock. Salah-Eddine Oulad released Andres Salazar down the left flank, and the Colombian showed excellent composure as he drove into the penalty area before firing a precise left-footed effort across goalkeeper Dāvis Ošs and into the far corner.

Riga continued to dictate proceedings and came close to doubling their lead through Orlando Galo and Oulad, while Liepāja struggled to establish any sustained possession in attacking areas.

The second goal arrived in controversial fashion midway through the first half. Following a lengthy VAR review, referee Aleksandrs Golubevs was advised to award a penalty after determining that Djibril Gueye had handled the ball inside the penalty area. Muhammed Badamosi stepped up and confidently converted into the bottom corner, scoring his 13th league goal of the season and giving Riga a deserved two-goal cushion.

Liepāja briefly threatened through Ingars Pūlis, whose effort from inside the area was comfortably saved by Frenks Orols, but Riga remained firmly in control.

The match was effectively decided in the 34th minute. After winning possession high up the pitch, Riga launched another quick attack. Orlando Galo’s initial effort was blocked, but the ball fell kindly for Salah-Eddine Oulad, who reacted quickest to slot home from close range and make it 3-0 before halftime.

The visitors emerged with greater intent after the break and enjoyed more possession than they had managed during the opening 45 minutes. However, their attacking play lacked quality in the final third. Despite registering several attempts, Liepāja failed to seriously trouble Orols, with Rodolphe Ekou, Irad Mushindi and Chovanie Amatkarijo all seeing efforts blocked or miss the target.

Riga, meanwhile, remained dangerous whenever they broke forward. Oulad came close to adding a fourth shortly after the hour mark, while several substitutes injected fresh energy into the home side’s attack.

The fourth goal finally arrived in the 77th minute. A rapid counterattack sliced through the Liepāja defence and Karl Wassom provided the decisive pass for Orlando Galo, who calmly finished into the bottom corner to complete the scoring and cap another impressive performance from the title challengers.

The victory moves Riga onto 45 points and above RFS at the top of the table, at least until their rivals face Ogre United on Monday. For Liepāja, the defeat leaves them in fourth place and ends a difficult evening in which they were second best from start to finish.

Riga will look to continue their winning run on 25 June when they travel to face BFC Daugavpils, while Liepāja return to action a day later with a difficult home fixture against defending champions RFS.

#	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	RFS	33	26	5	2	81	24	57	83
2	Riga FC	33	24	7	2	90	31	59	79
3	FK Auda	33	19	7	7	53	34	19	64
4	FK Liepāja	33	13	7	13	46	46	0	46
5	BFC Daugavpils	33	12	9	12	39	37	2	45
6	Super Nova	33	11	5	17	32	47	-15	38
7	FS Jelgava	33	8	8	17	34	56	-22	32
8	Grobiņa	33	6	11	16	25	56	-31	29
9	FK Tukums 2000	33	5	9	19	44	65	-21	24
10	Ogre United	33	4	6	23	33	81	-48	18