Nikolato: last-second loss is the most painful defeat yet

Latvia's national football team head coach Vladimir Nikolato said after the latest Nations League match that conceding a loss in the final seconds of the game was among the most painful experiences he has faced. The team held the lead for much of the match but was overtaken right at the end.

The coach compared this result to the previous match against Montenegro, which he described as a defeat that happened "the right way." This time, he said, the situation was entirely different, as the team had been close to a positive result but failed to hold on to it.

Reluctant to blame individual players

Nikolato emphasized that he did not want to publicly dwell on individual players' mistakes, noting that even the best footballers in the world make errors from time to time, and such errors can prove costly. According to him, not everything went according to plan during the match, but the team's attitude had been correct throughout. Latvia's squad had wanted to play their own style of football, though after the opponent's player Daškevič scored a remarkable goal, the team drifted somewhat from its original approach.

New players score first international goals

The coach spoke positively about the fact that during this training camp, two players scored their first goals for the national team, while several others earned their place in the squad and showed themselves in a good light. Nikolato expressed confidence that these players have a bright future ahead of them.

Latvia's national team has two matches remaining in the UEFA Nations League in November — an away fixture against Montenegro on November 12, followed by a home match against Armenia at Skonto Stadium in Riga on November 15.