Latvians take a breather

Moving on
Two late goals in Aveiro cost the Latvians a famous victory and the eleven who started the game were all excluded after their exertions last night. The remaining 12 players took part although the emphasis was on looking ahead rather than reflecting on what might have been.

Time to rest
"The most important thing is to recuperate," said Latvia general manager Gennadiy Karavayev. "Psychologically rather than physically. The players are in a good mood, but I can feel they're mentally exhausted after the match where we deserved a much better fate. But we need to get rid of this feeling and think about Germany."

Changes possible
Those involved today included Southampton FC forward Marians Pahars, who came on for the final nine minutes in place of goalscorer Maris Verpakovskis. Another late change at the Estádio Municipal de Aveiro saw an exhausted Andrejs Prohorenkovs replaced by Jurijs Laizans.

Laizans chance
Coach Aleksandrs Starkovs may consider altering his lineup for Saturday's match against Germany in Porto, meaning Laizans may get a place at Imants Bleidelis's expense. Starkovs could also give Igors Korabovs or Dzintars Zirnis an opportunity at full-back.