Vapne: After two poor games and an early 0:1, there was no other option left

Latvia's national football team suffered a 1:2 home defeat to group favorites Montenegro, who secured their third win in three Nations League League C matches. Following the game, midfielder Lūkass Vapne, who plays for Norway's Sogndal and has played every minute of this cycle's matches, spoke to the Sportacentrs.com portal.

The 23-year-old revealed that after two previous performances he described as poor, the head coach had been dissatisfied with the team's play, particularly with too many long passes that didn't match the desired style of ball control and building play from the back. Vapne acknowledged that the game plan in the first match may have been somewhat mismatched to the situation, making it difficult to adjust quickly.

Early goal forced a change

Discussing the Montenegro match, Vapne said the team conceded what he considered a needless early goal. He stressed that after two disappointing results and falling behind 0:1 early, the team had no choice but to take initiative and give maximum effort, to avoid a complete failure in front of the home crowd.

The midfielder explained that Latvia's approach was built around two patterns of play Montenegro typically uses, which the team had studied via video analysis. Players split into two lines of five and looked for moments to press higher up the pitch, while staying wary of situations where opponents could create a numerical advantage.

Vapne said it was difficult to objectively assess the team's real chances in the group, noting that every opponent considers itself competitive too. He mentioned that the coach speaks more candidly with the players than in public, and that after weaker results, such as against Armenia or Cyprus, the internal feedback had been considerably harsher. He added that the second round is still in the team's own hands, but stressed that a win is now simply necessary.