Faroe Islands left Latvia without third place in the Baltic Cup with a narrow victory in Riga
The Faroe Islands defeated Latvia 1:0 at LNK Sporta Parks in Riga in a match played on 9 June 2026, in a fixture listed in UEFA's calendar among friendly matches, while in the competitive framework it concerned the battle for third place in the Baltic Cup. According to the announcement of Fótbóltssamband Føroya, the decisive goal was scored by Hanus Sørensen nine minutes before the end of the match.
A minimal difference decided the duel for third place
Latvia and the Faroe Islands played a match on 9 June 2026 in Riga that ended in a 1:0 victory for the visiting national team. According to UEFA's match calendar, the duel was internationally included among friendly encounters, while results services and national associations place it within the framework of the Baltic Cup, namely in the match for third place after the semifinal defeats of both national teams. FotMob listed LNK Sporta Parks dabīgais as the venue for the same match and the time as 15:00 UTC, which corresponds to an evening slot in local time in Latvia. The Latvian Football Federation announced that it was 0:0 at halftime, and that Latvia ultimately lost 0:1. From the perspective of the Faroe Islands, the victory had additional value because it was achieved away from home in a Baltic setting, in a match with a tight scoreline and little room for error.
According to the report by Fótbóltssamband Føroya, the Faroe Islands managed to recover after a narrow defeat to Estonia and earn a deserved victory in Riga. The Faroese association stated that Hanus Sørensen was the scorer of the only goal, and the goal came in the closing stages, when nine minutes remained until the end of regular time. Such an outcome confirmed that the match was decided by a detail, but also that the visiting team managed to make better use of the period in which the match was opening up toward the end. According to the LFF report, Latvia tried to increase the pressure and seek an equalizer in the final minutes, but did not create enough clear chances. In stoppage time, according to the same Latvian report, the Faroe Islands hit the post from a free kick, which further emphasized how much the home side was living on the edge of conceding another goal.
A match with few major chances and the decisive strike in the closing stages
The Latvian Football Federation described the duel as a match in which there were not many dangerous situations in the first half. According to the LFF, the opening minutes passed without pronounced threats, and both teams tried to build an advantage through positional play. Latvia won the first corner in the 12th minute after a blocked shot by Raivis Andris Jurkovskis, while a few minutes later Lūkass Vapne received the ball after successful pressing, but his attempt was also stopped by a block. In that rhythm, the match for a long time moved between two defensively disciplined teams that had periods of possession but did not easily reach the final phase. The LFF also stated that Marko Regža was active in duels, but Latvia did not find the final touch that would have changed the score before the break.
The first half of the match was additionally marked by a forced change in the Latvian defense. According to the LFF, Roberts Veips could not continue the match in the 33rd minute, so Daniels Balodis came on instead of him. In the closing stages of the first half, the Faroe Islands had one of their better situations after a mistake in controlling the ball, but their attacker sent the ball wide of the far post from a good position. The LFF also reported that goalkeeper Frenks Dāvids Orols had to seriously save his team for the first time in the 42nd minute after a scramble in the penalty area. Before the break, Latvia won a dangerous free kick after a move by Maksims Toņiševs, but Andrejs Cigaņiks did not hit the target from distance. The 0:0 score at halftime therefore, according to the course described by the Latvian association, reflected a match in which there was more fighting for control of space than crafted chances.
The second half began with Latvian substitutions and an attempt to raise the intensity in attack. The LFF stated that Dario Šits and Mārtiņš Ķigurs came into play instead of Regža and Toņiševs, with which Paolo Nicolato tried to change the dynamics going forward. Still, according to the same report, the Faroe Islands were more dangerous in front of goal at certain moments in the continuation, especially after a move in which the ball from close range went just over the goal. Latvia then had several crosses, but without a final shot that would seriously test the visiting defense. The best home periods were not turned into a goal, and attempts after set pieces and through entries into the penalty area remained insufficient to change the score. It was precisely that inefficiency, along with Sørensen's late goal, that decided the match.
Latvia with changes in the lineup and problems with absences
Latvia entered the match after a semifinal defeat to Lithuania after penalties, and the LFF announced that three changes had been made in the starting lineup compared with the previous duel. Roberts Veips replaced Vitālījs Jagodinskis, Marko Regža started at the top of the attack instead of Dario Šits, while Maksims Toņiševs received a place in the lineup instead of Deniss Meļņiks, who was said not to have been preparing for the match because of planned surgery. These changes show that Latvia also used the third-place match for broader squad checks, which is common in national-team windows after two matches in a short span. The LFF additionally announced that, due to health circumstances, Kristers Tobers, Jānis Ikaunieks, Renārs Varslavāns and Roberts Uldriķis could not help. During preparations, according to the same source, Vladislavs Gutkovskis, Eduards Dašķevičs and Dmitrijs Zelenkovs also dropped out of the squad.
The statements of Latvian head coach Paolo Nicolato after the match indicated a mixed picture of the home performance. According to the LFF announcement, Nicolato assessed that Latvia tried to dominate in certain parts and that some things worked, but he emphasized that mistakes and insufficient quality in the final third limited the team. According to the LFF, the coach said that the result should be accepted because Latvia allowed the opponent several big chances. He also said that one of the gains from these matches was the discovery of several players who could be useful in the future. In the context of the match against the Faroe Islands, that message is important because Latvia did not get the result, but the coaching staff gained additional information about the depth of the squad and the players who can take minutes in the next cycle.
According to the LFF, Nicolato particularly emphasized the need to improve quality in the attacking third, especially against opponents who defend deeper. Such an assessment corresponds to the impression from a match in which Latvia had periods of possession but struggled to create clear chances. The coach also explained that Roberts Veips's earlier exit was not connected with his play but with a bad feeling on the pitch, because the player requested a substitution. The LFF also stated that this was the first match of the Latvian men's senior national team at LNK Sporta Parks. The defeat therefore also had a symbolic dimension for Latvia: the first appearance at that facility ended without a goal and without third place in the Baltic Cup.
The Faroe Islands took their chance after the semifinal defeat
For the Faroe Islands, the victory in Riga was a response to the semifinal defeat by Estonia. According to Fótbóltssamband Føroya, the Faroese national team lost 0:1 to Estonia on 6 June in Pärnu, in a match in which the only goal was scored by Tony Varjund. That defeat meant that the Faroe Islands would play for third place instead of the final, but the encounter against Latvia gave them an opportunity to finish the tournament with a positive result. After the victory in Riga, the Faroese association emphasized that the team was better over the full 90 minutes and that the victory was deserved. Although such an assessment comes from the perspective of the winning association, it matches the fact that the visitors were stable enough to survive Latvian pressure and concrete enough to decide the match in the closing stages.
Hanus Sørensen, who according to the FSF scored the winning goal, thus became the key figure of the Faroese performance in Riga. Narrow victories in national-team football often carry special weight because they are based on discipline, concentration and the ability to turn one major situation into a result. The Faroe Islands are not a team that regularly enter matches as favorites in the European national-team hierarchy, so every away victory against a Baltic national team is an important signal of continuity. According to the FSF, the Faroe Islands' next obligations are tied to the UEFA Nations League, in which they will face matches against Kazakhstan, Moldova and Slovakia in the autumn. In that context, the victory over Latvia can serve as an incentive ahead of a more demanding competitive period.
The Baltic Cup as a tournament with a long tradition
The Baltic Cup has a special place in European national-team football. The LFF states that it is the second-oldest international football tournament in Europe after the British Home Championship and the oldest tournament still being held. According to the Latvian association, the first edition was played in 1928, and the tournament should mark its centenary in two years. Latvia is, according to the same source, the most decorated national team in the history of the Baltic Cup, and last won the trophy in 2018, thereby ending a run of four consecutive titles from 2012 to 2018. Precisely because of such tradition, defeat in the third-place match is not only a friendly failure, but also a continuation of a period in which Latvia is seeking a return to the top of the regional tournament.
The format of the 2026 edition included three Baltic national teams and the Faroe Islands as a guest national team. The LFF had already announced in February that semifinals would be played first, followed by matches for first and third place, while the FSF emphasized in its tournament preview that the Faroe Islands had been invited as a guest in the four-nation competition. In the semifinal, according to the LFF and available results, Latvia played 1:1 against Lithuania in Kaunas and then lost after penalties. The Faroe Islands lost 0:1 to Estonia, so the two defeated teams met in Riga. According to the FSF, Estonia ultimately won the 2026 Baltic Cup with a 1:0 victory over Lithuania in the final, and the decisive goal was scored by Karel Mustmaa ten minutes before the end of the match.
A result carrying different messages for the two national teams
For Latvia, the 0:1 defeat opens questions about finishing and attacking efficiency. According to the LFF, after the match Nicolato emphasized that the team must be better in the final third, especially when the opponent defends low and closes space. This is a problem that does not relate only to one match, but to the broader ability of the national team to turn possession and territorial initiative into goals. Latvia reached 1:1 against Lithuania in the semifinal, but lost after penalties, while against the Faroe Islands it did not score a goal. The two Baltic Cup matches therefore offered certain positive elements in game control and the testing of new players, but also confirmed that the attacking finish is the area in which the coaching staff will seek the greatest progress. According to the LFF, Latvia will face UEFA Nations League matches in the autumn period in a group with Armenia, Cyprus and Montenegro.
For the Faroe Islands, the victory in Riga brings a more stable exit from the national-team window. After the defeat to Estonia, Eyðun Klakstein's team did not remain without a reaction, but against Latvia found a way to turn the result in its favor. According to the FSF, Klakstein and assistant Atli Gregersen made changes to the lineup for the match in Riga, which shows that the coaching staff was seeking freshness after the semifinal. Hanus Sørensen's goal in the closing stages gave that decision concrete confirmation on the scoreboard. In national-team football, such matches often have value greater than the placing for third place itself, because they strengthen the belief that a team can win even when the match remains on the edge of equality for a long time. The Faroe Islands leave Riga with a victory that does not bring a trophy, but does bring a measurable result and a positive end to the Baltic Cup.
Sources:
- UEFA – Match Calendar, confirmation of the date, result and classification of the Latvia - Faroe Islands match among friendly encounters (link)
- FotMob – data on the time, venue and basic framework of the Latvia - Faroe Islands match (link)
- Latvijas Futbola federācija – match report, course of the encounter, absences, lineup changes and Baltic Cup context (link)
- Latvijas Futbola federācija – Paolo Nicolato's statements after the Latvia - Faroe Islands encounter (link)
- Fótbóltssamband Føroya – report on the Faroe Islands' victory, scorer Hanus Sørensen and the final outcome of the 2026 Baltic Cup (link)
- Sofascore – results framework of the 2026 Baltic Cup, semifinals, final and third-place match (link)