In the final round of the Altero.lv LIIGA first stage, Valmiera FC left no doubt at the Valmiera Olympic Centre, dismantling FK Līvāni with a resounding 6:0 victory.
According to the competition regulations, this last game had no real impact on the standings — only the points earned against other top-four teams are carried over to the decisive stage, and Līvāni (just like Union) had already been left outside the qualifying pack.
Alongside Valmiera (14 points), the other three A-group teams advancing are FS Jelgava-2 (10), Rīgas Futbola skola (7), and JDFS Alberts-2 (2). They will now face the top four from Group B: SK Super Nova-2 (15), FK Salaspils (9), FK Karosta (9), and FK Ķekava/Auda (3). The format: two full rounds, with each team playing eight matches. The top two finishers will earn promotion to the 1st League.
As for the match itself, it will be remembered for a stunning “Euro goal” by Rinalds Krists Freilihs — what seemed like a long cross from deep unexpectedly bent towards goal, completely catching the Līvāni goalkeeper off guard and dipping under the bar. Freilihs later added a second goal to his name. The scoring sheet was completed by Ēriks Maurs-Boks, Yusuke Omori, Niks Savaļnieks, and Daniils Cepeļevs.
The decisive stage begins with an away match on August 24 at 18:00 in Baldone against FK Ķekava/Auda.
The road to promotion starts now. ?