In the 27th round of the Tonybet Virslīga, it wasn’t the best day for Valmiera FC, as they suffered a 2-3 defeat away against FK Tukums 2000/Telms.
After their loss in the Latvian Cup, Gatis Kalniņš’s team looked to regain their winning form in Tukums, but things didn’t go as planned. They faced a determined opponent whose main goal in this final phase of the tournament is to secure their place in the top tier of Latvian football.
Already in the 8th minute of the match, the home team beat Dāvis Ošs for the first time, with former Valmiera player Bogdans Samoilovs scoring. Tukums looked much more combative in the first half, which was rewarded with a second goal in the 33rd minute by Valerijs Lizunovs. Both teams squandered a few more good chances in the first 45 minutes.
At the start of the second half, Kalniņš made three substitutions, including bringing on the team’s top scorer, Alioune Ndoye. The Senegalese striker made an immediate impact, quickly pulling one goal back. Unfortunately, just three minutes later, in the 53rd minute, Tukums striker Kenroy Campbell scored, forcing Ošs to retrieve the ball from the net for the third time in the match.
In the remaining time, wave after wave of attacks crashed against the Tukums defense, but the crucial finishing touch was often missing. However, one effort was successful, when in the 66th minute, after a combination between two defenders—Emīls Birka and Maksims Toņiševs—the latter fired the ball past Jānis Beks for the second and final time in this match.
Valmiera’s coaching staff will have some thinking to do, especially regarding the team’s defense, which has recently been patched together with whatever players are available.
Next week, on Saturday at 16:00, we will face FK Metta at Jānis Daliņš Stadium as we begin the fourth round of the tournament.
