The question of attitude before the first match of the UEFA Nations League in Division C was often invoked by the head coach of the Latvian national football team, Paulo Nikolato, who made five changes to the starting line-up after the defeat in Armenia and was rewarded with a 1-0 victory at the Skonto Stadium against the Faroe Islands national team. It was the two footballers Vladislavs Gutkovskis and Renārs Varslavāns who scored the only goal.
Even more than the achieved result and the first victory in the C division, the team’s performance was pleasing. Just a couple of days after the unimpressive game in Yerevan, the Latvian national team took the initiative in front of their spectators and controlled the course of the game almost throughout its duration. “Especially the performance in the first half was very important. What we showed on the pitch was the result of our efforts to do our best,” Nicolato pointed out in the first half of the game, although the only goal came after the break. Although Rihards Matrevics kept his place in goal after the unsuccessful previous game, half of the field players were replaced. Its regular members Roberts Savalnieks and Vladislavs Gutkovskis returned to the starting line-up, Daniels Balodis took the center of the defense, and Renārs Varslavāns and Dmitrijs Zelenkovs in the midfield. They all started the game with high intensity, providing possession and several medium-dangerous scoring chances.
The effective kick only matured in the second half, when after a long pass, Jānis Ikaunieks masterfully threw the ball into the penalty area to Gutkovskis, who, in a fight with the defender, despite several ricochets of the ball, was able to pass it past the goal, and Varslavāns sent it into the net with excellent accuracy with a bounce against the post.
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2024-09-12 21:38:18