Ventspils victorious again in Latvia
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Article summary
For the second season in succession, Igors Slesarcuks scored the goal which sealed the Latvian title for FK Ventspils as they beat Skonto FC 1-0 on Wednesday.
Article body
FK Ventspils retained their Latvian title with a 1-0 win against Skonto FC on Wednesday night, with Igors Slesarcuks once more scoring the goal that confirmed them as champions.
Tense finale
Needing a win to avoid taking the title race into the final match of the season on Sunday, Ventspils overcame Skonto on home turf thanks to a 27th-minute goal from Slesarcuks, who applied a nice finish following good work on the right by Sergei Zangareev. Slesarcuks also scored the goal which sealed Ventspils' maiden title success last season. Vits Rimkus, Andrejs Butriks, Vladimirs Kolesničenko and Mihails Zizilevs had chances to increase the advantage, but in the end they were grateful for their lead as Gatis Kalninš hit the post for Skonto in added time.
Easier task
Despite a tense game against Skonto and a much more competitive Virsliga this season - with FK Riga joining traditional powerhouses Ventspils, Skonto and SK Liepajas Metalurgs in battling for the crown - coach Roman Grigorchuk concluded that their 2007 success had been less problematic than last year's. "In 2006 we were under immense pressure because everyone was waiting for us to win our first major title," he said. "This season it was much easier to claim top spot, but that does not make it any less pleasant to win the gold medals."