On a hot Sunday afternoon in Riga, at the Jānis Skredelis Stadium, Valmiera FC kicked off the second round of the Altero.lv LIIGA with a solid 5:2 victory over Rīgas Futbola Skola — successfully handling both the opposition and the summer heat.
Team captain Mārcis Ērglis opened the scoring in the 19th minute with a thunderous long-range strike that rocketed into the net — 1:0. Just seven minutes later, Yusuke Omori made a long solo run to the edge of the box and fed Ēriks Maurs-Boks, who controlled the ball with a couple of touches before unleashing a sharp left-footed shot for 2:0. On the stroke of halftime, Ēriks struck again in a similar style — proving the old saying true: “If you don’t shoot, you won’t score” — 3:0.
In the second half, head coach Gatis Kalniņš brought on fresh legs, keeping up the tempo. Among the highlights was the fourth goal, this time from Ghanaian winger Richmond Owusu, who struck from just outside the box with pinpoint accuracy into the top corner — his first goal of the season.
However, Valmiera briefly lost focus, allowing RFS to pull two goals back in the 70th and 82nd minutes, both resulting from corner kick situations. But any hopes of a comeback were crushed in the final moments when Owusu struck again — this time with another powerful left-footed finish — putting the game beyond doubt at 5:2.
Next up: a Latvian Cup pre-Jāņi challenge on the road in Riga. On June 22 at 13:00, Valmiera will face Riga Mariners at the Mežaparks Sports Village football ground.
See you at the match!
