The fans at Jānis Daliņš Stadium witnessed yet another unforgettable game as Valmiera FC faced FK Auda, their closest rivals in the Tonybet Virslīga standings, and suffered a 2-3 loss.
Auda has been in great form throughout the tournament, proving to be a tough challenge for any opponent. The match in Valmiera started promisingly for Gatis Kalniņš’s side, as Alioune Ndoye scored his 17th goal of the season in the 8th minute after a brilliant assist from Meissa Diop. Valmiera continued to create several good chances at Krišjānis Zviedris’ goal, while Auda also had their opportunities at Dāvis Ošs’ fortress.
The game took a dramatic turn at the end of the first half when Auda equalized, followed by the dismissal of Valmiera’s defender Maksims Toņiševs, who received a second yellow card. Maksims was shown the card after angrily reacting to a questionable referee decision that wrongly went against him – the ball had been cleared out of bounds by the opponent, not by Maksims.
After the break, with Valmiera down to 10 men, the home team could only rely on counterattacks and individual moments of brilliance. Valmiera defended well, with Ošs performing confidently in goal, holding the draw until the 53rd minute, when Auda’s Aleksejs Saveļjevs made it 2-1.
Encouraged by the crowd, Valmiera didn’t give up and continued their attacking efforts. In the 78th minute, after a brilliant header from Jason Bahamboula, Kristers Aļekseičiks, with a little help from an Auda defender, managed to level the score at 2-2. The last ten minutes were nothing short of a rodeo.
In the 84th minute, Carlos Duke’s cross into the box was turned into a goal by Djibril Gueye with a precise header, but the fans’ celebrations were cut short by the assistant referee’s flag, signaling offside. Four minutes later, a defensive error allowed Auda’s striker Abdulrahman Taiwo to score, putting Auda ahead again. The drama didn’t end there—Gueye received a red card for unsportsmanlike behavior, and in the dying seconds of the match, Bahamboula missed a golden opportunity to make it 3-3.
Valmiera will look to get back to winning ways in Liepāja when they face Grobiņa SC/LFS on October 4 at 6:00 PM.