Derry City lose first leg at home 2-0 to Riga. Pix by Joe Boland/NorthWest Newspix
City’s ten men were second best against Latvian side Riga, who with a bit more composure could have won by a bigger margin, at a packed Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium.
Ruaidhri Higgins’ side never really got going and their night was summed up when Matty Smith was dismissed just after the hour mark, as the striker’s frustration seemed to get the better of him when he clashed with Glody Ngonda.
A defensive error by Shane McEleney resulted in Gabriel Ramos breaking the deadlock on 41 minutes and the game was put to bed soon after Matty Smith’s red-card when the lively Oleksandr Filippov netted.
Neither side created much in the early stages with Douglas Aurellio blasting over for Riga, while Eoin Toal’s header was easily gathered by Nils Tomas Purins.
Purins was called into action on 17 minutes as Will Patching’s 25 yard dipping free-kick was well held by the Riga keeper.
Riga front man Filippov should have done better moments later when he got free inside the box, but his tame shot was straight at Maher.
The visitors broke the deadlock on 41 minutes as Filippov ghosted in behind McEleney, before stretching to keep the ball in and his cut-back found Ramos and he gleefully fired home into the net.
Soon after the lively Filippov should have doubled Riga’s lead but after creating some space inside the box, his left footed curling effort sailed off target. City suffered an injury set-back on 52 minutes as Ronan Boyce had to be replaced by new signing Ryan Graydon.
Derry were reduced to ten men on 66 minutes as Smith was shown a straight red card by Vilhjalmur Thorarinsson, after clashing with Ngonda.
Now a man up, Riga added a second soon after as Douglas burst down the left before skipping away from Cameron Dummigan and McEleney, before picking out Filippov and the striker turned the ball home from close range.
To their credit the ten men went close to pulling a goal back, but Patching’s 25 yard free-kick had to be well saved by a diving Purins.
Right at the death substitute Yurchenko Vladlen was denied when his curling strike, which had Maher beaten, came back off the crossbar.
Derry City: Brian Maher, Ronan Boyce (Ryan Graydon 52), Shane McEleney, Eoin Toal, Cameron McJannet; Cameron Dummigan, Will Patching, Patrick McEleney; Matty Smith, Jamie McGonigle (James Akintunde 74), Joe Thomson.
Riga: Nils Tomas Purins, Thanos Petsos, Douglas Berqkvist, Gabriel Ramos Da Penha, Mikael Soisalo (Yurchenko Vladlen 76), Raivis Andris Jurkovskis, Glody Ngonda, Douglas Aurelio (Armands Petersons 80), Antonijs Cernomordijs (Ilja Korotkovs 57), Oleksandr Filippov.
Referee: Vilhjalmur Thorarinsson (Iceland).
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