On Thursday, the Valmiera team won bronze medals and a Eurocup sign in the penultimate round of the Optibet Latvian Football Super League, the 26th round.
In another game with his first “hat-trick” career, “Liepāja” midfielder Eduards Tīdenbergs stood out, but the last game of his career was spent by the long-time captain of the city team Deniss Ivanovs.
Meanwhile, Nemanja Belakovičs, the leader of Jūrmala’s “Spartaka” attack, reached Toluvalasi Arokodari in the list of the best goal scorers of the Premier League, but Aleksandrs Cauņa, one of the best Latvian footballers of the previous decade, took the field in the last minutes of Jelgava.
Also on Thursday, it became clear that the most titled of the active teams “Ventspils” will not play in the Euroccups for the first time this century.
As reported, all members of the Premier League clubs were tested for Covid-19 on Monday. The incidence has not been recorded in seven clubs. The Latvian Football Federation (LFF) emphasized that in the other three clubs the morbidity indicators are not related to the conditions under which the championship should be interrupted, so on Thursday all ten teams went on the field.
The people of Valmiera were in the lead in their second half with the result 3: 0 (2: 0) against “Daugavpils”, which could not continue the fight, because only six footballers were available.
Already in the 11th minute of the game, after the shot by Lukas Silagadze, the ball found its way to Daugavpils. Towards the end of the first half, in the 35th minute, Georges Taisheira’s shot was corrected by Jibril Gay, who reached 2: 0.
Gay also successfully started the second half, with the Senegalese reaching 3: 0 in the 54th minute.
A few minutes later the fight was stopped, because the “Daugavpils” team was left with six footballers – a goalkeeper and five field players.
“Daugavpils” started the match with eight football players, but in the second half the fight was not continued by Valērijs Afanasjevs, as well as Vladislavs Timofejevs was injured.
“Daugavpils” was one of the teams of the Latvian Football Super League affected by Covid-19. Six Premier League footballers tested positive on Monday’s Covid-19 tests, but several were quarantined as contacts.
A large part of the team consists of academy students who are minors and cannot play during an emergency.
Meanwhile, “Spartaks” destroyed “Jelgava” in their field with 7: 0 (2: 0), which played the match far from optimal.
“Spartaks” took the lead in the 23rd minute after a shot by Leon Šipoš, but the home team was doubled by Quvado Assamo, who reached 2: 0 two minutes before the end of the first half. Towards the middle of the second half, in the 58th minute Nemanja Belakovičs scored the third goal in favor of the Sailors, but in the 69th minute after the corner kick “Spartaka” the advantage was strengthened by Samiru Abdullahi.
However, the dominance of the resort town team did not end there, because five minutes later, without Jelgava sending the ball out of the penalty area, Belakovičs reached 5: 0. Chikezi Nvaoris scored the next goal for the home team ten minutes before the end of regular time. Arjagners Smith was able to finish off the move – 1 minutes into the match.
One minute before that, the best Latvian footballer Cauņa from 2011 and 2012 went to the field, who has played in the Premier League doubles championship this season. Cauņa last participated in the official game on August 26, 2017.
The leader of the Jurmala team Belakovičs has scored 15 goals this season, which is the same as for Arokodarem, who is continuing his career in the German Bundesliga. In the last round, if one is held, Belakovich will have a chance to become the best bomber of the league season.
In another game, “Liepāja” won 5: 0 (2: 0) over Tukums 2000 ″ / TSS.
“Liepāja” put Dodo in the lead in the 27th minute, but six minutes later Eduards Tīdenbergs reached 2: 0. Already in the second minute of the second half, Tīdenbergs reached 3: 0.
When there were 16 minutes left until the end of the regular time, the leader of the city attack Dodo moved even further as a result of “Liepāja”, but three minutes later the “hat-trick” was provided by Tīdenbergs.
Dodo could have closed the match with three goals, but he did not take an 11-meter penalty in the 59th minute.
Before the match, “Liepāja” announced that the team’s long-term captain Ivanovs will play his last game in his career, who came to a change 12 minutes before the end of regular time on Thursday.
In another match, Ventspils won the Metta team 1: 0 (1: 0).
The scorer was Lukas Villelas Dumte Pjagbarā hit the ball hard from the edge of the penalty box.
In the last round, Tukums residents and “Metta” will fight for not falling out of the Premier League.
Meanwhile, in the capital’s derby, RFS beat Riga’s team 3: 0 (0: 0).
The Covid-19 outbreak hit vasts champions “Riga”, who placed two footballers in the basic lineup against RFS in the position of goalkeeper. Roberts Ozols came on, Nils Toms Puriņš had to leave the fray. The application also included the third goalkeeper Ilya Isaev, who replaced Puriņa in the 71st minute.
The home team scored the first goal only in the 68th minute, when after a shot from Tomasz Šimkovič outside the penalty area, the ball in the rebound from the “Riga” football player came into the net. Seven minutes before the end of the regular time after Šimkoviča’s free kick, Vladislavs Fjodorovs sent the ball to his head, but in the second minute of the compensation time Jānis Ikaunieks realized an 11-meter penalty – 3: 0.
Covid-19 was also diagnosed in the RFS team, but the outbreak was not as widespread as in the Riga club.
On Thursday, all the games started with a moment of silence, honoring the legend of football legend Diego Maradon, who passed away on Wednesday.
The final round of the Premier League is scheduled for Sunday, but it is unknown whether it will take place and whether all teams will participate.
The first place in the tournament table with 69 points in 26 matches is taken by “Riga”, which is six points ahead of RFS. “Valmiera” has 44 points, but “Ventspils” has 41 points and a worse balance in mutual games.
“Liepāja” is behind the first four with 39 points, Jūrmala “Spartaks” has scored 37 points, “Jelgava”, 22 “Daugavpils”, 16 “Metta” team, but 14 – for Tukums 2000 ″ / TSS footballers.
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