Although it was already clear before the final Altero.lv LIIGA match that Valmiera FC had clinched the championship title, everyone — the players, staff, and the many supporters at Jānis Daliņš Stadium — wanted to finish the season in style. And they did just that, delivering a resounding victory over FK Karosta from Liepāja.
Valmiera’s head coach Gatis Kalniņš watched the team’s dominant performance from the stands, serving a one-match suspension. What he saw on the field was total control — one team dictating the game from start to finish, never leaving any doubt about the outcome.
By the 16th minute, the scoreboard already read 3–0, with goals from Oskars Stupelis, Yusuke Omori, and Daniils Cepeļevs. The lead could have grown even larger before halftime, but several promising shots narrowly missed the target.
In the second half, Valmiera continued to press, and in the 64th minute, Cepeļevs headed home his second goal of the match after an Ēriks Maurs-Boks corner — 4–0.
In the 70th minute, after a year-long break due to injury, Daniils’ older brother, center-back Ņikita Cepeļevs, made his long-awaited return to the pitch, while Edgars Gauračs came on as a substitute for the two-goal scorer. Just six minutes later, Gauračs marked his appearance with a goal of his own, finishing Niks Savaļnieks’s perfect cross from the right to seal a 5–0 victory.
As the final whistle blew, the players and staff warmly thanked the large crowd of supporters for their backing throughout the season. Moments later, the championship medals and trophy were presented, and the celebrations continued joyfully on the running track of Daliņš Stadium.
With the uplifting feeling of champions, Valmiera FC now looks ahead to the Nākotnes League.
See you next season!
