Super Nova youngsters knock out Northern Irish side Cliftonville with second-minute penalty
Riga's Super Nova U19 side beat Northern Ireland's Cliftonville in Tornakalns in the UEFA Youth League qualifying round, thanks to an early penalty, and advanced. The first leg in Northern Ireland had ended 0-0.
Football: UEFA Youth League, the European club competition for under-19 teams. Super Nova, the winner of Latvia's youth championship, beat Northern Ireland's Cliftonville in the second leg in Tornakalns, Riga, on Tuesday and moved into the next round. A month earlier the two sides had drawn 0-0 in Northern Ireland, so an early goal from the hosts settled the tie.
Penalty in the second minute
In the second minute a 16-year-old opposing player brought down Georgijs Bombans in the penalty area. Bombans, a 17-year-old forward, took the spot kick himself and converted it. Over the whole match the hosts had 13 shots to the visitors' five.
Experienced names in the line-up
Bombans was not the only player on the pitch with experience in the Virsliga, Latvia's top division. Alens Grikovs and Kristaps Rekmanis also have it. Ilja Streltsovs led the attack; he has scored nine goals for the reserve side in the Latvian First League.
Super Nova were making their debut in European competition. Cliftonville first took part in the Youth League in 2024, when they lost on penalties to a team from Daugavpils.
What comes next
In the next round Super Nova will face the U19 side of Hammarby from Stockholm. The first match is in Sweden on 28 October, with the return in Tornakalns a week later. If the Latvians beat the Swedes, they will meet either Warsaw's Legia or France's Clermont.
On the domestic-champions path, Tallinn's Flora are close to a second-round meeting with the youth side of London's Chelsea academy. Flora beat Torshavn HB 3-0 at home in September. Vilnius's Zalgiris youth team will face Dublin's St. Patrick's Athletic after beating Iceland's Akureyri Thor 4-3 away and 2-0 at home.
