In the course of the season, “PPK/Betsafe” became the champions of the central zone, accumulating 38 points in a tense battle. JDFS “Alberts-2” also had the same opportunity, but the results of mutual games were in favor of Yuri Zhigaev’s team, allowing the popular “Pa Pāris Kausiem” project to win gold medals.
In order to get the right to participate in the second league next season, it was necessary to defeat the second strongest team of the western zone, “Tukums 2000 III”, in the final tournament “PPK/Betsafe” in the sum of two games. The PPK commune managed to take a three-goal advantage from the away match in Tukum, with Dāvis Trapučkas, Artjoms Korotkevičas and the colorful Azerbaijani Vugar Askerov standing out.
“PPK/Betsafe” prepared for the return match at LNK sports park the bomb. Latvian football legend Māris Verpakovskis was at the forefront of the attack. In the first half of the return match, Oleg Semyonov and Daniel Romenski stood out for the Žigaev team. During the halftime break, Verpakovski was replaced on the field by Askerovs, who soon scored a goal himself, but Artūrs Ozoliņš scored twice later in the game. Rolands Lubgāns added a point to the devastating victory of “PPK/Betsafe” over the third team of Tukumen coached by Kristaps Gailas, settling the result of two games 9:0.
The winners have also been determined in the other three pairs. The first relationship was explained by the silver medalist of the northern zone “Pļaviņas” and the champion of the eastern zone “Krāslava”. Each of the teams won at home with a two-goal advantage. At the Krāslava stadium, even half an hour of extra time was not enough, in which both teams scored one goal each. The series of post-match kicks proved to be decisive, in which two imprecise pendles of the “Pļaviņu” team allowed the infallible “Krāslava” footballers, led by Vadims Atamaņukovs, to advance to the second league. Vladislavs Skrupskis, the goalkeeper of the team, who played in the infamous Jūrmala “Noah” Virsliga championship a few seasons ago, is a recognizable name among the Kraslavians.
Two reserve teams of “Nāotnes” league teams fought tensely for a place in the second league. The backups of the champion “Jelgavas”, who are promoted to the Premier League, under the leadership of Japanese Rotoro Nakano, faced off against JDFS “Alberts II”. There was no shortage of players in Jelgavnieku’s ranks who played mainly in the Future League this season, including leading roles such as Mārcis Peilāns and Andris Deklavs. Despite that, the teams could not agree on a winner in 210 minutes. JDFS “Alberts II” football players led by Armandas Zeiberliņas won 3-2 in the post-match penalty shootout, putting their foot in front of the Zemgalians’ double triumph this season.
With the goal of Emil Muižnieks, the champion of the northern zone “Ogre United” brought a minimal advantage from the first game at the Ilūkstes stadium against “Augdaugavas novada”. Emotions ran high on the field of Ogrenians, as Timur Volosov equalized in the sum of two games half an hour before the end of the regular time. During the compensation period of the second game, “Ogre United” broke the tie with the accurate shot of Kárlis Ličas, allowing Ogre United to win the sum of two games. At the end of the duel, a number of players saw yellow and even red patches.
