A dramatic Champions League Round of 16 first leg saw Riga of Latvia secure a 3-3 draw against Prishtina 01 on Wednesday, setting the stage for a highly anticipated return match.
The evenly contested affair featured a debut appearance from Brazilian goalkeeper Djegu ronkagliu,a 2024 World Champion,for Riga,and highlighted the unpredictable nature of European club football. Elsewhere in Champions League play, Latvian international Edgar Tarakanov and his Anderlecht side suffered a stunning defeat despite an early lead.
Further details on both matches are below.
Riga and Prishtina 01 battled to a thrilling 3-3 draw in a Champions League Round of 16 first leg matchup on Wednesday, December 4th. The result sets up a potentially decisive second leg as Riga looks to advance to the quarterfinal stage.
Despite missing key players Fradique Gois, Jonatas, and Gleizons, Riga saw Brazilian goalkeeper Djegu Ronkagliu – the 2024 World Champion – make his debut between the posts, having previously played for RFS. However, he was beaten twice in the opening ten minutes. Drilon Madžarrajs opened the scoring in the 6th minute with a long-range strike, and then doubled the lead just four minutes later, capitalizing on a turnover by Portugal veteran Bruno Kuelju near his own penalty area, forcing Riga to call a timeout (0-2).
Riga controlled possession for much of the match, but initially struggled to translate that into clear-cut chances. Late in the first half, however, a brilliant combination play saw Ronkagliu connect across the field to fellow 2024 World Cup finalist Angel Claudino, who quickly laid the ball off for Latvia international Viktors Kuļepovs to pull one back in the 19th minute (1:2).
The Latvian side continued to press and equalized in the 32nd minute when Dani Airozu headed home a corner kick from Dilan Vargas (2:2). But the lead was short-lived, as the home side regained the advantage just two minutes later when the ball deflected off Ronkagliu’s back and into the net (2:3). Riga refused to quit, and with three minutes remaining, Vargas delivered another pinpoint corner, finding Claudino who set up Brazilian José Marquart for the equalizer (3:3). Riga dominated the stat sheet, with 40 shots to 15, 19 on target to 7, and 14 corner kicks to 3.
The winner of the tie will face the victor of the clash between Spain’s Palma and Ukraine’s HIT Kyiv in the quarterfinal.
In other Champions League action, Latvia’s Edgar Tarakanov, playing for Brussels Anderlecht, saw his team race to a 3-1 lead in the first 10 minutes against Almaty Kairat, only to fall to a 3-7 defeat on their home turf.
Prishtina 01 – Riga 3:3 (2:1).
Vārti: Madžarrajs 6′, 10′, Alajs 34′ – Kuļepovs 19′, Airozu 32′, Markvarts 38′.
Brīdinājumi: Madžarrajs, Čerimi – Kuelju, Kozlovskis.
Riga: Ronkagliu, Markvarts, Airozu, Klaudino, Kuelju – Mūrnieks, Rimkus, Vargass, Kuļepovs, Mickēvičs, Kozlovskis, Piļipčuks.
Čempionu līgas 1/8 fināls
| Pāris | 1. spēle | 2. spēle |
|---|---|---|
| Semey (Kazahstāna) – Piast (Polija) | 3:3 | 05.12. plkst. 20.00 |
| Araz (Azerbaidžāna) – Benfica (Portugāle) | 0:9 | 05.12. plkst. 19.30 |
| Hjorring (Dānija) – Etoile Lavalloise (Francija) | 1:4 | 01.12. plkst. 21.30 |
| Luxol St. Andrews (Malta) – Cartagena (Spānija) | 1:9 | 05.12. plkst. 21.30 |
| AEK (Grieķija) – Sporting (Portugāle) | 0:11 | 04.12. plkst. 22.30 |
| Anderlecht (Beļģija) – Kairat (Kazahstāna) | 3:7 | 05.12. plkst. 17.00 |
| Prishtina 01 (Kosova) – Riga (Latvija) | 3:3 | 05.12. plkst. 19.30 |
| HIT Kyiv (Ukraina) – Palma (Spānija) | 25.11. | 05.12. plkst. 20.30 |
