Latvia national football team
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The Latvian national football team (Izlase in Latvian) is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Latvia, and represents the country in international football competitions, such as World Cup and the European Championships.
History
Latvia played its first match in 1922, a game against Estonia; the result was a 1-1 draw. Latvia are arguably the most successful of the Baltic states, as well as being only team qualified to final stage of European Championship, they won the Baltic Cup 19 times.In 1940, Latvia was annexed by the Soviet Union; the country regained its independence in 1991 and played their first match as a new nation against Estonia on November 16th of that year in the Baltic Cup, and their first FIFA-recognized match against Romania on April 8th, 1992, a 0-2 loss at Bucharest.
Latvia was a surprise qualifier for the 2004 European Football Championship, after defeating Turkey in a playoff to reach the final tournament. In Euro 2004, Latvia was drawn into group D with Germany, Czech Republic, and the Netherlands. On June 15, 2004, Latvia played Czech Republic and managed to take a late first half lead with a goal from Māris Verpakovskis. The Czechs would later come back to win the game 2-1. Four days later Latvia earned a respectable draw 0-0 against Germany to earn their first point in a major tournament. Latvia later lost to the Netherlands 3-0, and was eliminated with one point from their draw and two losses.
In the qualifying for World Cup 2006, Latvia was in group 3 with Portugal, Slovakia, Russia, Estonia, Liechtenstein, and Luxembourg. Latvia was considered as a small threat for the playoff spot. However, Latvia failed to show any surprises as they did in Euro 2004 and failed to qualify for World Cup 2006 finishing fifth with 15 points from four wins, three draws and five losses.
Vitālijs Astafjevs has played for Latvia more times than anyone else, with 112 caps currently. Eriks Pētersons is the nation's top goal scorer with 24, while modern-day star Māris Verpakovskis is second with 18.
World Cup record
- 1930 to 1934 - Did not enter
- 1938 - Did not qualify
- 1950 to 1990 - Did not enter, was part of USSR
- 1994 to 2006 - Did not qualify
European Championship record
- 1960 to 1992 - Did not enter, was part of USSR
- 1996 - Did not qualify
- 2000 - Did not qualify
- 2004 - Round 1
Famous players
Before 1940:
- Eriks Pētersons
- Jānis Lidmanis
- Aleksandrs Koliņko
- Igors Stepanovs
- Vitālijs Astafjevs
- Māris Verpakovskis
- Andrejs Rubins
- Andrejs Prohorenkovs
- Marian Pahars
Top Latvia goalscorers
| Player | Latvia career | Goals (Caps) |
|---|---|---|
| Eriks Pētersons | 1929-1939 | 24 (63) |
| Māris Verpakovskis | 1999-present | 18 (53) |
| Marian Pahars | 1996-present | 15 (63) |
| Alberts Šeibelis | 1925-1939 | 14 (54) |
| Ilja Vestermans | 1935-1938 | 13 (23) |
| Mihails Zemļinskis | 1992-2005 | 12 (105) |
| Vitālijs Astafjevs | 1992-present | 12 (125) |
| Juris Laizāns | 1998-present | 11 (74) |
| Arnolds Tauriņš | 1925-1935 | 10 (39) |
Latvia coaches
| Coach | Latvia career |
|---|---|
| Jānis Gilis | 1992-1997 |
| Revaz Dzodzuashvili | 1998-1999 |
| Gary Johnson | 1999-2001 |
| Aleksandrs Starkovs | 2001-2004 |
| Jurijs Andrejevs | 2004- |
Current roster
See the EURO 2004 squad.External links
- [Official site of national football federation]
- [RSSSF archive of Latvia national team results]
- [RSSSF archive of most capped players and highest goalscorers]
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