The Riga FC Women’s side capped off a remarkable year on Wednesday, defeating MFA Žalgiris 3-1 in the Baltic Women’s Football League (BWFL) final held in Rīga. With this triumph, the Rīga side completed a domestic treble plus continental glory, having already claimed the Latvian league title, the national cup, and the Super Cup earlier this season.
The visitors from Lithuania struck first in the 24th minute, when Alex Madden broke into the penalty area and fired a well-placed shot past the goalkeeper to make it 1-0 for Žalgiris.
After the break, Riga came roaring back. In the 54th minute, following a corner kick, the opposing goalkeeper failed to hold onto the ball, allowing Marina Teļukeviča to slot home the equalizer. Another corner brought another goal in the 72nd minute, this time headed in by Renāte Gaugere, giving Riga the lead.
In stoppage time, Kumba Brima sealed the victory in style – holding off multiple defenders before driving the ball into the net to make it 3-1 and spark celebrations among the home supporters.
Earlier in the semifinals, Riga edged RFS Women 2-1 at home, while Žalgiris defeated fellow Lithuanian side Gintra by the same scoreline.
Riga dominated the group stage, winning all four of their matches to finish first with a perfect record. Žalgiris followed in second with nine points, Gintra placed third with seven, and RFS took fourth with five points in the six-team competition, which also featured two Estonian clubs.
The BWFL brings together the two strongest women’s teams from each Baltic nation. The first stage features a single round-robin format, with clubs from the same country not facing each other. The semifinals then pit first vs. fourth and second vs. third from the opening round.
Last season, RFS became the first Latvian club since the BWFL’s revival to reach the final, though they fell 1-2 to Tallinna Flora in Rīga.
In the match for the bronze medal which was supposed to happen today in Šiauliai SC Gintra were awarded a 3-0 technical victory as RFS Women because of their lineup problems didn’t come for the game.
The Baltic women’s club competition has a long and varied history – originally launched in the 1990s, first held under the BWFL name in 2006, and paused after the 2010 season. The tournament was revived in 2017, and until now, Latvian sides had achieved best finishes of third place (2017, 2019, and 2022).
With this year’s victory, Riga Women have written a new chapter in Latvian women’s football history – becoming the first team from Latvia ever to lift the BWFL trophy.
Source: https://sportacentrs.com/futbols/citas_ligas/29102025-riga_futbolistes_triumfe_baltijas_kausa_f
[LETA]
