Latvia History

History already made by Latvia

Qualifying for UEFA EURO 2004™ is without doubt the greatest achievement in Latvian footballing history.

Turbulent history
The Baltic nation's turbulent past has tended to work against the continued development of football over the last century, although a lively rivalry with Lithuania and Estonia - all three of whom regularly compete for honours in the Baltic Cup - has helped to keep Latvian football supporters occupied.

Baltic challenge
The Latvian Football Federation (LFF) was founded in 1921 while the Baltic Cup was first contested seven years later, with Latvia emerging as winners. They were to take the crown on four further occasions before the Soviet invasion of 1940, and more importantly, competed in the qualifiers for the 1938 FIFA World Cup.

Kaneps hat-trick
A Fricis Kaneps hat-trick helped Lativa to a 4-2 home victory against Lithuania, and the same player was on target twice in the return leg in Kaunas as Latvia won 5-2 to earn a tie against a powerful Austrian side. The game was played in Vienna on 5 October 1937 and resulted in a 2-1 win for the Austrians - the second leg was mysteriously never played.

Limited role
However, Latvians had more important things than football on their minds in the coming years. The second world war saw the Soviet Union and the Axis powers both seizing control of the nation to devastating effect, and Latvia was to emerge as a Soviet state in the years following the war, ensuring a limited role in international football in the following 40 years.

Surviving competition
The Baltic Cup, however, was to survive the period of occupation. The competition resumed in 1948 and was contested sporadically until 1976, with Latvian teams taking eight titles - as well as sharing the 1960 title with both Lithuania and Estonia.

Independence celebrations
Independence was to bring the Latvian national team back into the spotlight, and the LFF belatedly became a member of FIFA and UEFA in the early 1990s, and had a second chance of qualifying for a major tournament under their own steam as they entered the qualifiers for the 1994 World Cup.

World Cup history
Goalless draws against Spain and Denmark in Riga were to mark the high-points of that campaign, as Latvia finished sixth out of seven teams in their qualifying group. Although results were to improve in subsequent World Cup campaigns - Latvia finished fourth in their group for the 1998 and 2002 World Cups.

Flying start
Meanwhile, in the UEFA European Championship, Latvia's first campaign - for EURO 96™ - ended with a fifth-place finish in their six-team group, but wins against Northern Ireland and Austria augured well for the future. They finished fourth in their qualifying group for UEFA EURO 2000™, after a flying start which saw them win their opening game 3-1 away from home against eventual group winners Norway and 2-1 in Greece.

Surprise achievement
However, there was still little to suggest exactly how much Aleksandrs Starkovs' side would achieve in their subsequent European Championship qualifying tournament, where the decisive play-off win against Turkey opened up a whole new chapter in the history of Latvian football.

Country Info

Latvia reach new high

AREA: 64,589 sq km
POPULATION: 2,348,784
NEIGHBOURS: Belarus, Estonia, Lithuania, Russia
LANGUAGES: Latvian
CAPITAL CITY: Riga
 
Situated by the Baltic Sea and between fellow Baltic states Estonia and Lithuania, Latvia has been ruled by Sweden, Germany and Russia until 20th century.
 
Powerful neighbours
Latvia has been a province of its powerful neighbours for ages and has always been a place wanted by the major countries situated nearby - mainly for the of strategic and commercial importance of its capital city Riga, a majort port city. Built in 1201, Riga has recently celebrated 800 years of existence and remains an important location in the Baltic region - both in cultural and economic terms.
 
Independent state
Latvians started gaining self-consciousness as a nation in 19th century, while independence was first gained in on 18 November 1918. Three years later, the first official football governing body, the Latvian Football Federation (LFF), was founded as the game gained status in the new-born country.

Soviet control
Latvia played their first ever official match on 24 September 1922 against Estonia, the game ending in a 1-1 draw. Football then developed gradually until World War Two, when Latvia was first occupied by the Germans, and then the Soviet Union, who made Latvia one of the republics of the USSR.

Flagship club
Latvia was represented in the Soviet championships by various teams at various times, most notably by FC Daugava Riga, a club which featured most of the famous local football players, including current national team coach Aleksandrs Starkovs.

Latvia reborn
In 1991, Latvia regained independence as the Soviet Union crumbled, and LFF was re-established that year as an independent governing body and UEFA member. On 8 April 1992, the reborn national team played its first-ever match, losing 2-0 to Romania away from home. Their first campaign as an independent state was for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, which, like their next five qualifying campaigns, was not successful.

Dramatic upturn
However, Latvia's fortunes were to change dramatically for the better in the qualifying campaign for UEFA EURO 2004™, as Starkovs led his side to victories against Hungary, Poland and Sweden in qualifying to finish their campaign as runners-up in their qualifying group and winning a play-off place.

Wild celebrations
That success saw the traditional poplar sports of ice hockey and basketball take a back seat as football swamped the sporting agenda. A 1-0 win against play-off opponents Turkey in Riga saw wild celebrations in Latvia, but they were minor compared to the parties that greeted their subsequent 2-2 draw in Istanbul which saw the young nation book a place at the finals in Portugal.
 

Today year 2004 Latvia team

Player name list

Štolcers Andrejs Forward Astafjevs Vitalis Midfield Blagonadezdins Olegs Defender Bleidelis Imants Midfield Stepanovs Igors N Defender Isakovs Aleksandrs Defender Kolinko Aleksandrs Goalkeeper Laizans Jurijs Midfield Lobanovs Valentins Defender Pahars Marians Forward Piedels Andrejs Goalkeeper Rimkus Vits Forward Rubins Andrejs Midfield Verpakovskis Maris Forward Zemlinskis Mihails Defender Zirnis Dzintars Defender

Group D
	PLD	W	D	L	GS	GA	PTS
Czech Republic	2	2	0	0	5	3	6
Germany	2	0	2	0	1	1	2
Netherlands	2	0	1	1	3	4	1
Latvia	2	0	1	1	1	2	1

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