As previously reported by LSM, going into the final round of matches on Saturday, both Valmiera and Rīga had hopes of wining the league, with Valmiera needing a draw or a win at Liepāja to claim their debut title. Meanwhile Rīga needed to beat big-city rivals and reignin champions RFS and hope Valmiera lost to steal the crown.
In the end Rīga lost 1:0 and Valmiera won 2:0 away at Liepāja to hand the trophy to the north Latvian team. In the process they will be in the mix for lucrative Champions League qualification next season.
After a goal-less first half in Liepāja, the nerves of Valmiera's fans were on edge, but start striker Raimonds Krollis scored in the 58th minute to ease their fears, and just before the final whistle, Djibril Gay doubled the visitors' lead and put the icing on the cake.
Valmiera sealed the title after two years of coming close. They were second in the league last year – that time missing out on the final day – and finished third the year before that.
After the match head coach Jurģis Kalns – in his first full season at the helm – praised his team and their efforts over the course of the season.
Krollis meanwhile tol Latvian Television that he was proud the team had overcome some other clubs with deeper pockets and stressed that Valmiera is a relatively small city but one where everyone is a fan of the team.
