Liepaja Held to Goalless Draw by Tukums 2000 in Latvian Premier League
In round 34 of the Latvian Higher League football season, Liepaja and Tukums 2000 drew 0-0. The result did not bring Liepaja closer to the places that give access to European competitions.
In a round 34 match of Latvia's top football division (the "Tonybet" Virsliga) on 24 October, Liepaja played host to Tukums 2000 and the two sides drew 0-0. The game was played on the reserve pitch of the Daugava stadium. The point let Liepaja stay fourth in the league table, but a win would have moved them closer to the places that lead to European competitions.
How the match went
Liepaja created their best chance in the 11th minute. After a corner, Danils Patijcuks was ready to send the ball into an empty corner of the net from close range, but Tukums goalkeeper Sergejs Vilkovs saved his team. Liepaja had more of the ball over the first half overall, yet only Patijcuks had a truly good opportunity to score. The referee did not add any stoppage time to the first half.
The second half also lacked serious pressure at either end. Late in the game, Tukums had a chance to counter-attack with a numerical advantage, but their technical execution let them down. In stoppage time, Oloko Ede could have won it for Liepaja, but he failed to reach the ball.
The referee appointment
Before the match, Liepaja published a sarcastic message on social media in which they "thanked" the league for appointing Aleksejs Griscenko as the match referee. This time Griscenko was sparing with cards: four yellow cards were shown in total, three of them to Tukums players Valmiers, Toba and Klavins, and one to Liepaja's Eku.
League standings
After 34 rounds, Liepaja have 47 points and sit fourth. Tukums 2000 are ninth of ten teams with 24 points. RFS lead the championship with 83 points, followed by Riga with 79 and Auda with 64.
