Valmiera consolidated their second-place position in Latvia’s Nākotnes līga by securing a 3-0 victory at home against Ventspils. With only two rounds left in the season, Valmiera holds 56 points, putting them three points ahead of Leevon PPK, who suffered a 2-0 defeat against champions Metta on Saturday.
The game’s scoring started in the 11th minute when Artūrs Bērziņš netted a header following a corner kick. Later in the match, Lenny Manisa increased Valmiera’s advantage to two goals, scoring from another corner in the 57th minute. Just 10 minutes after that, Mahamadou Dembele capped off a counter-attack by shooting into an unguarded net.
Prior to scoring, Dembele was involved in a penalty appeal when a foul was not called, which led to Valmiera head coach Gatis Kalniņš receiving a yellow card for his protests. Securing second place in the standings leads to a promotion play-off match against the team that finishes ninth in the Virsliga.
Next week, Valmiera and Leevon PPK will face each other, with Valmiera hosting and needing to overcome a 4-1 loss from their previous meeting. Should the two clubs end the campaign level on points, the head-to-head results will determine which team claims second place.
SOURCE NAME: balticfootballnews.com
Source: balticfootballnews.com
