Latvia defeated the Armenian national team in a Rīga qualification match for the 2024 European Championship. Latvia won the Group D match 2:0 thanks to goals from Jānis Ikaunieks and Daniels Balodis.
Latvia took the lead after 39 minutes when Ikaunieks scored his 12th goal for the national team in his 53rd appearance. However, Latvia were reduced to ten men when Marcis Ošs was sent off for a second yellow card shortly after half time . Nevertheless, they battled to retain the lead and eventually extended it via Balodis' boot, resisting late pressure from the visitors.
Latvia has no chance of qualification for the Euro 2024 finals, but the win was well deserved after some good performances against far stronger teams left them with no points for their often commendable efforts. Latvia is in 136th position in the FIFA rankings, while Armenia is in 91st place.
Croatia and Turkey lead the group with 10 points in four and five games respectively, Armenia and Wales have seven points in six and five games respectively, while Latvia now has three points from six games.
Latvian footballers will meet Turkey in three days' time. On November 18, the qualification cycle will be concluded with a home match against Croatia, and on November 21, a friendly match against Poland will be played in Poland.
