Riga FC snatched a dramatic 3-2 victory over FC Ararat-Armenia in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, thanks to a decisive goal in the 90th minute. The Latvian side had built a two-goal lead early on, but the Armenian visitors fought back to level the score before Riga struck at the death.
Iago Siqueira Augusto opened the scoring for Riga in the 14th minute, heading in from Muhammed Badammosi's delivery, and Ahmed Ankrah doubled the lead with a strike in the 23rd minute. Ararat-Armenia hit back immediately after the restart, with Zhirayr Shaghoyan pulling one back in the 46th minute. Sandro Lima then levelled matters in the 63rd minute, converting Zidane Banjaqui's assist to make it 2-2. With the game seemingly heading for extra time, Riga grabbed the winner in the 90th minute, the goal credited to no named scorer – likely an own goal.
The match was a physical contest, featuring eight yellow cards – four to each side. Edgar Grigoryan, Salah Oulad M'Hand, Orlando Galo, Ahmed Ankrah, Zidane Banjaqui, Hugo Oliveira, Reginaldo Ramires, and Carlos França were all booked. Despite having no standout individual performer in the box score, Riga's resilience in regaining the lead after being pegged back was the key difference.
