Nicolato: Losing in the final seconds is the most painful way to drop points

Latvia's men's national football team head coach Paolo Nicolato has spoken about a painful setback suffered on Monday, when the team conceded a goal in the final seconds of a match against Cyprus, turning what looked like a secured draw into a loss.

Speaking after the match, the Italian coach said this kind of outcome — losing a point literally moments before the final whistle — is one of the most painful ways a team can lose a game. Nicolato, who currently leads the Latvian national team, made the comments on Monday, underlining how emotionally difficult it is to accept such a turn of events after the team had already seen a chance to secure at least a point.

Match context

The source report did not detail all circumstances of the match, but according to the coach's remarks, Cyprus scored in the closing moments of play, converting what would have been a draw for Latvia into a defeat. Such a result adds extra pressure on the squad and coaching staff, since points lost in the final moments are often considered the hardest to process psychologically.

Nicolato is among the foreign specialists who have worked with Latvia's men's national team in recent years in an effort to raise the squad's performance at the international level. This unexpected late twist adds to the challenges the team faces as it seeks greater stability and better results in tournaments and qualifying matches.

The coach has not hidden his disappointment publicly, but his comments suggest the coaching staff views the match analysis as an important lesson ahead of upcoming fixtures.