Riga FC loses striker Galo to knee surgery ahead of Conference League start
Riga FC forward Galo has undergone knee meniscus surgery and will be sidelined for at least two months, ruling him out of the start of the Europa Conference League league phase. The club is preparing for domestic and European fixtures after the international break.
Costa Rican forward Galo of Riga FC has undergone surgery on his right knee meniscus and will miss at least two months, the Costa Rican Football Federation has announced. The 26-year-old will therefore be unavailable at the start of the Conference League league phase.
Galo's international break began well: in the 4th minute of Costa Rica's first match he provided an assist for a goal against Nicaragua. However, the national team's Nations League results that followed were poor — a home loss to Curaçao (leading 3:0 before falling 3:4) and an away defeat to Haiti (0:2). Galo missed the win over Nicaragua (3:0) due to his injury.
This is Galo's second significant injury this year. He was already out for five weeks during the decisive Europa Conference League qualifying round, returning to Latvian top-flight action on 11 September and playing full 90 minutes in each of the two matches before the international break. At that time, while still recovering, Galo was included in Riga FC's registered squad list for the Conference League league phase. That list must remain unchanged until January, with one exception allowed only for a serious injury — if a player is sidelined for at least 60 days. In the best case, Galo could return to action in December, when Riga FC are scheduled to play Atalanta at home and Borac Banja Luka away.
This season Galo has scored 7 goals and provided 2 assists in 23 league matches, plus one goal and one assist in five European matches.
Earlier this week, Riga FC played a friendly in Cyprus, beating Limassol's Aris 2:1. With most Latvian players unavailable due to national team duty or injuries, the club fielded 11 foreign players. Koly Sacko and Reginaldo Ramires scored the goals. Forward Muhammed Badamosi, Riga FC's top scorer, also returned to action for Gambia's national team after a two-year absence, scoring in matches against Somalia (2:1) and Ghana (4:2).
After the international break, Riga FC will travel to Tukums on Saturday, before opening their Conference League league phase campaign at home against Kairat Almaty on 15 October.
