UNITED OUT OF THE CUP IN LOSS TO FK IGATE/TAMI-TAMI

06 / 06 / 2016

Riga United FC had their cup hopes dashed as a much stronger FK Igate/Tami-Tami won 4-1

Date published: 06/06/2016 - 16:36

Riga United FC 1-4 FK Igate/Tami-Tami
Gouglou 48'

Riga United didn’t know much about their opponents before but they’ll have better knowledge of FK Jelgava’s affiliate club FK Igate/Tami-Tami, as they lost 4-1.  It’s an old cliche, however the expressions “a game of two halves” really applies to this game as It was Igate who did the damage in the first and Riga United who looked the stronger in the second.  

With foreign player cap rules in place for the cup and a mounting injury list, Riga United were forced to play players who were playing for the first time in the first team or players playing in unfamiliar positions.

The solitary goal for Riga United came from the ‘Moroccan Magician’ Karim Gouglou, who scored just after half time as Mārtiņš Klincārs made excellent progress down the left side, made a move in the penalty area, he was fouled but the referee chose to play-on, the ball found its way to Gouglou who smashed the ball into the top part of the goal, for his 4th goal in all competitions so far.  

The game started very nervously for United, as they tried to work out their opponents.  All too often though, they committed fouls as they jumped in too quickly into the tackle.  By contrast Igate started off well playing the ball to their own rhythm, looking to break down United.  They almost went ahead in the early stages as they shot against the crossbar.  United struggled to get into the game and didn’t have too many dangerous shots to speak off.

The warning signs were there as United failed to track players back and often looked disjointed as Igate took the game. They finally scored just before the half hour mark as again the Igate striker wasn’t picked up and the opponents played a simple ball over the top of the defence for him to make it 1-0.  It only took a few minutes for them to double their lead, in a very similar situation, this time a through ball same player to make it 2-0. It was 3-0 before half time in the 41st minute, as the striker rounded off his hat-trick when the attacker was not picked up as a cross came in from the left and it was a good finish.

Stern words were had at halftime by player/coach Graham Williams as he looked for his team to show some fight and get back into the game.  The words must have rung through the ears of the players as they got off to the best start possible with Gouglou’s goal.  Furthermore, it was probably the best half Klincārs has had in a Riga United shirt, causing a lot of trouble down the left and had things gone his way, he may have found a way to creat a few more goals.

The passing became better and they looked to use the ball in the confident Riga United way.  Chances began to come for Riga.

United switched to 3 at the back as they tried to search for a second, it almost came as Klincārs played the ball across the goal however 2 United players couldn’t find that touch to put it into the net.  Igate shortly afterwards countered and the defence were caught out and a foul in the box from Berrahal saw him get his second yellow of the game and Igate kill the game off with the penalty to make it 4-1.

Riga United found it difficult to play against a strong team after having played so many games throughout the week already.  That compelled with half the team playing with injuries and out of position.  They can feel hard done by, that said, in the first half they just weren’t good enough and that’s what cost them the match. The second half was the United that can fight with the very best.

Graham Williams had his views on the match when asked, this is what he had to say: “We lost the game in the first half, conceding three soft goals however we should take nothing away from Igate [FK Igate/Tami-Tami], who moved the ball well and caused us problems. In the second half we played with more tempo, looked more relaxed on the ball and had the chances to get ourselves back into the game. 1-4 slightly flatters our opposition but on the day we weren't good enough to progress to the next round. I want to say a big thanks to everyone who played and to the subs who did not make it onto the field. There were some encouraging performances from some of our local players, who had to play through 90mins (some with injuries) due to the foreign player cap.”