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Ikaunieks: The main idea was to get as many balls as possible into the opponent’s penalty area

The main task of the Latvian men’s soccer team in the 2022 World Cup qualifying round match held at the Daugava Stadium on Wednesday was to get as many balls as possible in the opponents’ penalty area, concludes the national team’s offensive midfielder Jānis Ikaunieks.

It has already been reported that Latvian footballers beat Gibraltar 3: 1 at the Daugava Stadium on Wednesday, passing the match only in the last ten minutes of the game. For the Latvian national team, this was the first victory in the qualification tournament.

“The main thing is that we won. I wanted to get the result a little faster. There were also moments where we could do that. Maybe we could play even sharper ahead, create even more opportunities, but we won, everyone is happy, ”Ikaunieks says in an interview with the Latvian Football Federation (LFF).

The footballer says that the task was to aggressively move forward, pressing to catch the opponents’ mistakes. There was also a task to force the game desired by the Latvian national team, to attack a lot through the edges, to create centerings. “The main idea was to get as many balls as possible into the opponent’s penalty area,” reveals Ikaunieks.

For the first time in history, the video referee’s assistant system, or VAR, was used in Latvia for the 11-meter penalty kick.

“It simply came to our notice then [Eduards] Emsis fell, and he seemed to fall to his opponent’s leg. I was right next door and saw that episode. When the judge went to watch the episode repeat, it seemed to me that a “pendulum” could be given, and it did. We knew that there would be VAR, we talked about it a bit, we thought more about it, ”explains Ikaunieks.

In the first half of the match, Latvia had several great opportunities to score, but the ball did not find its way into the net.

“[Antonija] In the episode of the Chernomordy strike, we seem to have been punished. I think that [Gutkovskim] was a good shot. [Roberts] Uldriķis, however, had a difficult episode of the blow, a difficult angle. It seems to me that I would have a good moment when I dropped the ball. If I had quickly taken the ball to my left leg and hit it with the second touch, I think it would have been a very good moment. But it seemed to me that the opponent is closer, I tried to play with one touch, which was more difficult. But with more success, any of those opportunities could be used, ”recalls Ikaunieks.

In this match, Kuldīdznieks played on the flank with the task to go more to the center areas.

“There was a setting to go more to the center and if Robert gets the ball, he goes along the edge. I’ve played quite a lot aside, so it’s not unusual for me, but of course it has its nuances. I was no longer in the penalty area, I was not so dangerous in the final phase of the attack, ”says Ikaunieks.

Vladislavs Gutkovskis achieved the Latvian national team 1: 0 with a realized 11-meter penalty kick, who scored two goals in this fight. After taking the lead, the initiative moved to the side of Gibraltar.

“I think they understood that you have to go to the full bank, there is nothing to lose. They took more risks, went more actively, we had to use it. There was more free space in front. It was simply a matter of skill to double the lead with a few passes. It didn’t work out, so the end of the match turned out to be more nervous than we would like, ”concludes Ikaunieks.

The Latvian national team will play the next qualifying tournament game on Saturday, when Norway will be admitted to the Daugava Stadium at 7 pm.

In Group G, after four games in the lead with eight points, is Turkey. The Netherlands, Montenegro and Norway follow with seven points, Latvia has four points, but Gibraltar is still in the air.

In the European area, the samples are divided into ten subgroups, five for five samples and five for six samples. Ten group winners will qualify for the World Cup final, and ten runners-up and two top UEFA Nations League teams will compete in the playoffs.

In the elimination tournament, 12 teams will be divided into three “play-off” branches, where in March 2022 three more participants of the final tournament will be determined.

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