UNITED DROWNED OUT IN RĒZEKNE
04 / 09 / 2016
VRS Optimists Rēzekne 
Justin Walley and the team were left frustrated after losing 2-0.
Date published: 04/09/2016 - 22:23
Rēzeknes BJSS/VRS Optimists R. 2-0 Riga United
FC
The game was played in horrendous weather
conditions as the heavens opened from start-to-finish. The
mood after the game was a mixture of frustration, annoyance but a
lot of pride as Riga United, despite being the better team, left
Rēzekne losing 2-0. This means both teams go into the last game of
the season both needing a result against the top sides. Riga United
are ahead in the league on goal difference and currently occupy
third place.
“Yes, we should have put the game to bed in the first 30 minutes
but when things turned bad for us, the whole team kept going and
made sure we kept it to a 2-0 defeat. Hopefully it is going to be
enough to secure us a third place finish at the end of the season.”
said manager Justin Walley reflecting on yesterday’s game.
United, due to a lack of missing players for various reasons,
managed to come to Rēzekne with just enough and field 11. Without
substitutes and poor conditions, as a team they can be proud. The
commitment shown from start to finish was outstanding.
They played some very good football for long periods of the game
and in the first half should have scored on a few occasions. Both
Liene Vāciete and Linda Kazlauska going close in the first half an
hour. But the football on display was good. The passing and
build up was decent and transitioning looked very good at points.
However, United lost some of their composure in the last 15 minutes
and Rēzekne were able to start finding their way in the game.
They stretched the play and started to develop their football down
the wings. In their only shot on target of the half, they managed
to score. In the 42nd minute, after a well worked passing move,
they crossed the ball in and the Rēzekne player, free and unmarked,
was able to head a soft shot in the net.
Justin Walley was left frustrated at half time: “How we weren't
leading at half time after creating so many goal scoring
opportunities was beyond me. I have rarely felt so frustrated
during my time as a coach. They had one chance in the first 45 and
scored it, just before the break.”
“At half time we talked about the need to keep going for the whole
90 because if even if we lost, we knew we can still finish third in
the league on superior goal difference over the season.”
In the second half, United opened up the first five minutes as the
stronger team. They kept the pressure on and communicated
well. After that, they went quiet and started disappearing in the
game. Some players had given up after losing the ball and passes
started going awry. In the 52nd minute, a second goal was conceded
from a long-range effort.
Despite the scoreline though, as a team United “stayed the
course” and kept on trying to get something from this game.
They were unlucky not to get penalties on two occasions in
the second half. The first one; Marte Gronvold had turned the
player beautifully on the edge of the area, got inside and was
about to cross when she was clearly hacked down but the referee
seemed to have other ideas. The second time happened after great
pressure to get the ball in the area, a United player was clearly
pulled on the back of the shirt, impeding her from getting to the
ball near the goal.
Despite the best efforts though, United didn’t have the legs or the
ideas to get the ball forward enough and with Rēzekne content just
to pressure the players and sit back, there was no way through and
ended United’s run of consecutive wins.
This is what Justin Walley had to say after the game, about the
second half: “When we went 2-0 down I feared for us. Half the girls
hadn't played a competitive match in a couple of months and it was
clear that some of their legs had gone. Rezekne also looked really
hungry and they suddenly had the self belief. But we kept plugging
away with the eleven players that travelled and how the ref hasn't
given us the penalty for the 100% blatant foul on Marte Gronvold, I
will never know. But the same player has cleared one of the line
for us and Evelīna [Romanova] made a couple of great saves late on
to keep the score at 2-0.”
Player of the Match: Marte Gronvold. She was asked to do a
tough job on the wing for 90 minutes but rose to the challenge. She
was unlucky not to get a penalty after a clear foul and did
exceptionally well to clear the ball of the line from a corner.
She showed some great skill on the ball.