Displaying one of their best performances of the season, Valmiera FC had no trouble on Saturday at Jānis Daliņš Stadium, thoroughly defeating FK Ķekava/Auda with a resounding 6–0 victory.
This wasn’t the first time our opponents struggled to fill their squad — arriving in Valmiera with only 13 players, one of the common challenges faced by many lower-league sides.
That certainly influenced the quality and outcome, but no one was going to score the goals on Valmiera’s behalf. Our boys came out with determination and stormed the visitors’ defense from the very first minutes. The breakthrough didn’t take long: first, Ernests Kalniņš poked the ball into the net, then Oskars Stupelis struck accurately, followed soon after by Daniils Cepeļevs, who reacted quickest from a corner. By the 31st minute, Rinalds Krists Freilihs made it 4–0 with a stylish overhead finish right in front of goal.
The second half was quieter but still brought more goals, though only half as many. With his very first touch after coming on, Niks Savaļnieks scored with a header. He stayed lively in attack and sealed the final score in the 75th minute with a precise strike to make it 6–0.
Three matches remain before the end of the season. The first comes this Saturday at 20:00 in Salaspils, against arguably the strongest opponent in the group — FK Salaspils.
