Riga FC Secures Win in UEFA Conference League Qualifier in North Macedonia
Latvian champions 'Riga' defeated Skopje's 'Vardar' 3:2 away in the first leg of the UEFA Conference League second qualifying round on Wednesday.
Latvian football champions 'Riga' earned a 3:2 (2:1) victory over Skopje's 'Vardar' on Wednesday in the first leg of the UEFA Conference League second qualifying round, held in North Macedonia.
The home side took the lead in the 28th minute when Diego Castañeda fired from the left side of the penalty area into the top-left corner. Riga equalized in the 35th minute: after a cross from Raki Aouani, Orlando Gallo's header hit the goalkeeper and slowly rolled into the bottom-right corner. Just four minutes later, the visitors went ahead through a quick combination finished by Jagu Siqueira, who slotted from the right side of the box into the top-left corner (2:1).
In the second half, Gerson Rodrigues headed in a cross from Goran Zakarič in the 66th minute to level the score at 2:2. However, Riga restored their lead in the 81st minute: after a pass from Andrés Salazar, Siqueira drilled the ball from the center of the penalty area into the middle of the goal, past the goalkeeper, making it 3:2.
The return leg will be played next Tuesday in Riga. The aggregate winner will face the victor of the tie between 'Atert' (Luxembourg) and OTO Győr (Hungary) in the third qualifying round. Earlier, 'Riga' lost 3:4 to Armenian champions 'Ararat-Armenia' in the Champions League first qualifying round, while 'Vardar' fell 2:3 to Finnish 'KuPS'.
