In the 18 th round of Optibet futbola Virslīga, we were facing a fight on away game in the 32-degree heat with one of the two top teams in the tournament so far – Riga FC. In a game that required a lot of strength and determination from the players of both teams, unfortunately, we experienced a minimal defeat with 0:1.
The game’s only goal was scored in the 10th minute when Mikael Soisalo made an unbelievable shot from a tight angle from the right side of the penalty box. Tamaz Pertia’s men woke up when 25 minutes was already behind, and since then they had taken over ball possession in the remaining time of the game. But it turned out to be a no-changer in this game because nothing was working in building attacks for Valmiera this night.
The only real opportunity for visitors in this game came at the beginning of the second half-time, when Alvis Jaunzems took the initiative by providing a good pass in the penalty box to Ibrahima Sow, unfortunately, the Senegalese striker failed to hit the goal. The other minor chance of achieving at least a draw in this game occurred at the end of the game when Daisuke Yokota shot only slightly went past the top corner of the goal.
The most impressive moment in this game was delivered at the very end of the game by Valmiera’s goalkeeper Rihards Matrevics, who spectacularly and effectively rescued the team from the second lost goal after making four incredible saves in four seconds. Also, his efforts were too short for a team’s comeback.
In the end the first loss against Riga FC this season has happened. In the tournament table, after FK Ventspils withdrawal from the championship and the recalculation of points, we are now in third place, with three points behind Riga FC (with game less), and eight from the leaders RFS, with whom we will play the next game on June 25 at 20:00 on their ground at J.Skredela Stadium in Riga.
