Foto: BB.LV / футболисты
The football club "Riga" on Thursday, October 22, failed to achieve its first victory in the group stage of the UEFA Europa Conference League. In an away match against the Cypriot team "Pafos", the Latvian team played a 1:1 draw, although they took the lead in the second half, reports the LETA agency. The Rigan team started the match actively and created several dangerous moments at the opponent's goal within the first few minutes. In one of the episodes, the ball even ended up in the net, but Reginaldo Ramíris' goal was disallowed due to offside. Soon, the home team scored as well, but their goal was also ruled out — before that, the players of "Pafos" committed a foul against Riga's goalkeeper Kenan Pirić. In the second half of the first half, "Riga" continued to attack. After a pass from Ramíris, Auani Raki hit the post. The Cypriot team responded with a counterattack, which ended with a shot from Anderson Silva, but Pirić managed to catch the ball. Another dangerous moment at the home team's goal arose after a shot from Baba Muse, but the defenders of "Pafos" cleared the ball from the goal line. Despite Riga's advantage in dangerous moments, the first half ended without goals. After the break, the nature of the game changed. "Pafos" became more active, and the advantage of the Latvian club was no longer as noticeable. Nevertheless, it was "Riga" that managed to open the scoring. In the 67th minute, after a quick attack, Salah M'Hand made a pass from the left flank along the goal, and Kayu Ferreira, who had come on as a substitute shortly before, sent the ball into the net — 1:0. However, the Rigan team could not hold on to their lead. In the 76th minute, Gabriel Teixeira received a pass from Kenan Sem in the penalty area and equalized with a turning shot. The score did not change until the final whistle — 1:1. For "Riga", this is already the second consecutive draw in their debut season of the European Cup group stage. A week earlier, the Latvian champions also played 1:1 at home against Kazakhstan's "Kairat" from Almaty. In that match, the Rigan team missed several good opportunities to score, including failing to convert a penalty. Thus, after two rounds, "Riga" has two points out of six possible. The team has not lost yet, but they have not achieved their first victory in the group stage of the UEFA Europa Conference League either. The next match for the Rigan team will be on November 5 at home against the Czech "Jablonec". Then, on November 26, they will face Kaunas's "Žalgiris" in Lithuania. In December, "Riga" will play two more matches: on December 10, they will host the Italian "Atalanta", and on December 17, they will conclude the group stage with an away match against the Bosnian "Borac" from Banja Luka. In total, each team will play six matches in the group stage of the UEFA Europa Conference League. The top eight clubs will advance directly to the Round of 16, teams ranked 9th to 24th will continue to compete in the first round of the playoffs, while the rest will conclude their participation. For Latvian football, "Riga"'s participation at this stage of the tournament has become another achievement. Previously, "Ventspils" and RFS reached the group stages of European competitions. "Ventspils" competed in the Europa League in the 2009/2010 season, while RFS played in the Europa Conference League in the 2022/2023 season and in the Europa League two years later. Now, "Riga" faces the task of turning draws into victories. The next opportunity will arise on November 5 in a home match against "Jablonec". https://t.co/QYC2W12bdJ— Riga FC (@RigaFC_Official) October 22, 2026
