RFS Hosts Glentoran, Aiming to Become Fourth Latvian Club in European Second Round

Latvian football club RFS will play the second leg of the UEFA Conference League first qualifying round against Northern Irish side Glentoran tonight at 19:30 at LNK Sporta Park. After winning the first leg 2-1 away, RFS will try to protect their one-goal advantage. The match will be broadcast live on TV4 and at Sportacentrs.com.

The hero of the first match was Mārtiņš Ķigurs, who came on in the 32nd minute and scored both goals for RFS in the 45th and 70th minutes, helping his team come from behind. RFS played without regular goalkeeper Rihards Matrevics, with Jevgeņijs Ņerugals starting. Roberts Savaļnieks and Darko Lemajičs were on the bench, while Ķigurs replaced Ismaels Diomandé.

In the return leg, RFS will host the Northern Irish team and look to hold on to their lead. The winner of this tie will face either Azerbaijan's Qarabag or Iceland's Vestri in the next round, while the loser will end their European campaign for this season.

RFS has the chance to reach the Conference League group stage for the second time in club history—they previously did so in the 2022/23 season, facing Fiorentina, Basaksehir, and Hearts. They finished last in the group with two draws.

Glentoran has been competing in European competitions since the 1960s. In 2020, they advanced past the first qualifying round of the Europa League, but in 2021 and 2023 they were eliminated in the first round of the Conference League. Last season, they finished second in the Northern Irish Premiership, behind Larne.

Eighteen years ago, Glentoran faced Liepājas Metalurgs in the UEFA Cup and lost.

RFS could become the fourth Latvian club to reach the second qualifying round of the Conference League. Riga, after exiting the Champions League qualifiers, already advanced to the second round where they will face Vardar. Liepāja won against Dečić yesterday and will next face Austria Vienna. Auda, as the Latvian Cup winner, automatically entered the second round and will play against FCSB from Bucharest.