Latvia's U-17 girls beat Estonia in Jūrmala to share lead with Lithuania in Euro qualifying
Latvia's under-17 girls' football team beat Estonia 4–2 in Jūrmala in European Championship qualifying. Before the final round, Latvia and Lithuania both have four points.
Latvia's women's under-17 football team (players born in 2010–2011) beat Estonia 4–2 in Jūrmala on Saturday in the second match of the League B tournament in the first qualifying round for the 2027 European Championship. The result lets Latvia share the lead with Lithuania ahead of the final round, with both on four points. The match was reported by the Latvian Football Federation.
Match report
Half of the goals came before the interval. Latvia captain Lote Aleksandrova opened the scoring in the 13th minute after a goalkeeper error. The visitors levelled in the 21st minute with a long-range shot, but Sintija Štignere put the hosts ahead again in the 31st minute with a quick counter-attack. In the second half, Elizabete Anna Sniedziņa doubled the lead in the 60th minute, and Aleksija Railija Šnaidere added a fourth in the 71st minute with a long-range strike. Estonia pulled one back with a long ball into the penalty area. Aleksandrova had missed the previous match because of suspension.
Standings
In the first round Latvia drew 2–2 with Lithuania, while Estonia beat the Faroe Islands 3–1. In another match on Saturday, in Jelgava, Lithuania beat the Faroe Islands 1–0. After two rounds Latvia and Lithuania have four points each, Estonia three, and the Faroe Islands none.
In the final round on 13 October at 14:00, Latvia face the Faroe Islands at the Sloka stadium in Jūrmala, while Lithuania play Estonia at the Zemgale Olympic Centre. The group winners and the best of the second-placed teams will advance to League A for the second qualifying round, which awards places at the final tournament.
Background
The head coach is Rihards Gorkšs. The squad includes players from six Latvian clubs, as well as from England, Belgium, Italy and the USA. At the Baltic Cup this summer, Latvia lost 2–4 to Estonia and 1–4 to the Faroe Islands, and beat Lithuania 3–2. In the previous qualifying cycle Latvia played in League A for the first time, but finished without points and dropped back to League B. The WU-17 European Championship final tournament will be held in Finland next year.
