The Latvian national team played a good first half at the European Futsal Championships in Rīga on Wednesday, but despite scoring the first goal of the game they wound up losing 1:4 to the Croatian national team who take their place in the quarter finals of the tournament.
Edgars Tarakanovs scored the only goal for the Latvians, putting the team in the lead with only a draw required to book a place in the knockout stages.
Sadly, it was not to prove enough. The Croatians did not panic and continued to enjoy the lion’s share of possession, gradually exerting more and more pressure on the hosts’ goal.
Eventually that pressure told and just before half time Croatia equalized. Soon after the break they doubled their tally and took the lead, which prompted increasingly frenzied attempts by the Latvians to strike back. But in doing so they became more exposed at the back and Croatia not only kept their cool but added two more goals before the end of the match for what was a deserved win, but a disappointing result for the local supporters after such a hopeful start.
In the other Group A game on Wednesday evening, played in Kaunas, Lithuania, France beat Georgia 3-1. Consequently France and Croatia qualify for the knockout stages.
However, it is not quite the end of the tournament in Rīga. One of the quarter-finals wil be held in the Latvian capital on Saturday. The gold medal final game will take place on February 6th in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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