Riga Futsal Club produced a stunning performance on home court, crushing Kosovo champions FC Prishtina 03 by 8-1 in the second leg of the UEFA Futsal Champions League Round of 16. With an 11-4 aggregate victory, the Latvian champions secured their place among the top eight teams in Europe.
Two weeks earlier in Prishtina, Riga were held to a tense draw after coming from behind twice, with José Eduardo’s late goal earning a crucial equaliser and leaving everything to be decided in Riga.
This time, however, there was no doubt who was superior.
Riga entered the match as clear favorites and wasted no time proving why. In just the second minute, Angel Claudino opened the scoring with a brilliant volley from Dylan Vargas’ corner kick. Minutes later, the same pairing struck again to double the lead.
The hosts then turned on the style. Brazilian Daniel Airosso scored twice in quick succession as Riga surged to a commanding 4-0 advantage. Another Brazilian, Fradick Goes, completed a devastating first half by making it 5-0, sending the home crowd into celebration mode.
The second half quickly became a formality, but Riga showed no signs of slowing down. Latvia international Andžejs Mickevičs added a sixth goal midway through the half, before the visitors finally netted a consolation goal.
Riga were not finished yet. Late goals from Dylan Vargas and Vlads Rimkus completed the rout, sealing an emphatic 8-1 victory and confirming qualification to the Champions League quarter-finals.
In the next round, Riga will face either defending champions Palma Futsal from Spain or Ukraine’s HIT Kyiv. Their first leg ended in a surprising draw, with the second match set to decide Riga’s opponent later this evening.
The quarter-final ties for the coach Tiago Polido and Riga Futsal Club will be played on February 23 and March 6.
