In a surprising twist in Matchday 10 of the Altero.lv LIIGA, Valmiera FC suffered their first defeat of the season, falling 0:2 to JFC Viola — and at home at Jānis Daliņš Stadium, no less.
Ahead of the match, head coach Gatis Kalniņš and his staff made the decision to rotate the squad, giving playing time to several footballers who haven’t been regular starters this season. While this decision alone likely wasn’t the key factor behind the loss, it’s also fair to say that not all of those given a chance rose to the occasion.
It was also a match to forget for two of Valmiera’s most experienced players — forwards Niks Savaļnieks and Edgars Gauračs — who, despite their visible involvement in attack, failed to deliver in front of goal.
Credit where it’s due: Viola surprised everyone with their performance. The visitors displayed strong cohesion and discipline, especially in defense, effectively neutralizing Valmiera’s usually dynamic offense. Compared to their previous league performances, Valmiera posed little threat, managing no more than two genuine goal-scoring opportunities.
Viola, however, were clinical — thanks largely to Bruno Vanags, whose individual brilliance and shooting precision proved decisive. The striker scored twice, in the 47th and 79th minutes, both times with composed strikes from around 17 meters out, easily slipping past Valmiera’s young defenders.
Now, Kalniņš’s side has a bit of time to process this painful setback — their next league match isn’t until July 20 at 13:00, when they travel to Riga to face FK Aliance.
Plenty of time to regroup — and bounce back.
