A busy Skonto stadium enjoyed an entertaining match and a creditable result for the home team, though they could – and probably should – have done better, as Janis Ikaunieks missed a first half penalty. His tame shot from the spot allowed Albanian goalie Thomas Strakosha to make a comfortable save.
The disappointmnt was doubled soon afterwards when Latvian goalkeeper Krišjānis Zviedris’ tendency to punch rather than try to catch the ball resulted in it bouncing into neaby defender Antonijs Černomordijs and looping into the net.
Latvia were playing a very defensive 5-4-1 formation with Vladislavs Gutkovskis – frequently the only player in front of the ball – working hard as a target man. But when Latvia did dare to push forward they looked quite effective and earned their reward in first half injury time, this time with Černomordijs burying a fine header into the opposition net.
The score remained at 1:1 for the rest of the match, though both teams had chances, and both teams deserve credit for continuing to go for a win rather than sitting back and settling for a point.
In the qualifying group, the Latvian national team is in fourth position out of five teams with four points from three games, one point behind Albania, who have played one more game. The leader of the group is England with three wins from three games and nine points, but the Serbian national team moved up to third position, having defeated Andorra 3-0 at home in their second game on Tuesday. Latvia and Serbia have four points each and it is Serbia whom Latvia will play next, in September.
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