The second match of day thirteen brought an eventful first and second half. Both teams tried their hardest, and opponents brought a longer bench but in the end, Valmiera FC’s team effort was enough to beat NK Veres Rivne’s side with a score of 3:2.
The second match of the day began in a careful manner in which both squads scouted each other to see what would happen on the pitch. An early and only notable opportunity was for Valmiera FC – Alvis Jaunzems managed to get to the ball and shoot the ball, the glare caused issues for the goalkeeper but he turned the ball away.
For the most part, there were back-and-forth battles as nobody could establish a notable presence at the scoring end. Corner-kicks didn’t work for either side. Unfortunately, one of the game situations ended badly for Djibril Gueye, who sustained an injury and had to leave the pitch which meant that Pape Yare Fall had to take his place.
Having made adjustments Niks Dusalijevs moved up to the forward position and Fall took his spot on the wing. Just moments later that allowed creating an outstanding opportunity for Emils Birka. The left-back received a pass and unleashed a kick that went into the far corner of the net to make it 1:0.
At the end of the first half, Dusalijevs and an opponent got involved in a rather nasty challenge that saw our player remain down on the pitch in visible pain. Luckily that ended well and he could return for the second half of the game.
Night and day in the second half – it was a goal galore early on. Already in the 46th minute, unfortunate events occurred – a quick counter-attack by Veres side where with one pass they penetrated our defense and goalkeeper Klavs Lauva was powerless – the game became tied 1:1.
Luckily the opponent caused themselves problems – multiple Veres players attempted to clear the ball out of their penalty area but multiple ricochets later Renars Varslavans was first with the ball and assured that it would enter the opposing goal and Valmiera would regain the lead in the match. The entertainment carried on – a corner kick and the opponents were first on the ball, a few passes in the penalty area and a tie was reached once again.
That wasn’t even it – the action continued. In the 55th minute, a handball was whistled which meant that an 11-meter-penalty was awarded. Ivan Zhelizko stepped up to the line and moments later Valmiera would once again celebrate as he used his opportunity and made it 3:2. The goal collection had stopped, however, the game itself didn’t slow down. Both teams realized that they can score and went scouting for more chances.
Substitutions took place on both sides – first, the opponent switched out three players, and Olgerds Rascevskis came into play in place of Fall on our side. Valmiera could continue their offensive efforts and while controlling the game opponent had to rely on counters that came often but Klavs Lauva was in his place to make the saves when called upon. Furthermore, changes were made for the opposing squad as the match approached its end.
In the end provocations and emotions rose given how the Ukrainian side did need an equalizer. Calm and collected was the way to go for us and in the end, Valmiera managed to earn a 3:2 victory to end the day on a positive note.
Our starting 11 vs NK Veres Rivne: Klavs Lauva, Daniels Balodis (c), Roberts Veips, Alvis Jaunzems, Emils Birka, Ivan Zhelizko, Fraj Kairmani, Renars Varslavans, Meissa Diop, Niks Dusalijevs and Djibril Gueye.
The players involved in the game from the bench: Pape Yare Fall and Olgerds Rascevskis.
Our next game will be played on Tuesday (21.02) when we will be playing against the Ukrainian Metalist Kharkiv team.
