The 2015 Latvian Higher League is the 24th season of top-tier football in Latvia. FK Ventspils are the defending champions. The season started on 13 March 2015.[1]
| Season | 2015 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Liepāja |
| Champions League | Liepāja |
| Matches played | 55 |
| Goals scored | 123 (2.24 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Dāvis Ikaunieks (15) |
| Biggest home win | Skonto 4-0 FS Metta/LU (5 June 2015) |
| Biggest away win | FS Metta/LU 1-5 Skonto (10 August 2015) |
| Highest scoring | FS Metta/LU 1-5 Skonto (10 August 2015) |
| Longest winning run | 3 matches Skonto FK Liepāja FK Jelgava |
| Longest unbeaten run | 13 matches Ventspils |
| Longest winless run | 7 matches FS Metta/LU |
| Longest losing run | 4 matches FS Metta/LU |
← 2014 2016 → | |
Teams
editFC Jūrmala relegated at the end of last season, and was replaced by FB Gulbene, which returned to the highest level after two years. Because FC Daugava did not obtain a license to play in the 2015 Higher League, and FK Daugava was dissolved before the beginning of the new season, the league started with 8 participants. On 3 June 2015, FB Gulbene was expelled from the top league and their results expunged on suspicion of match-fixing.[2]
Stadiums and locations
edit
Locations of the 2015 Latvian Higher League teams
| Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
 BFC Daugavpils
|
Daugavpils | Celtnieks Stadium | 3,980 |
 FB Gulbene
|
Gulbene | Gulbenes Sporta Centrs | 1,500 |
 FK Jelgava
|
Jelgava | Zemgales Olimpiskais Sporta Centrs | 2,200 |
 FK Liepāja
|
Liepāja | Daugava Stadium | 6,000 |
 FS Metta/LU
|
Riga | Stadions Arkādija | 500 |
| Skonto FC
|
Riga | Skonto Stadium | 10,000 |
 FK Spartaks Jūrmala
|
Jūrmala | Slokas Stadium | 5,000 |
 FK Ventspils
|
Ventspils | Olimpiskais Stadium | 3,200 |
Kits manufacturer and sponsors
edit| Club | Kit manufacturer | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| BFC Daugavpils | Adidas | Intergaz |
| FB Gulbene | Jako | |
| FK Jelgava | Nike | Igate |
| FK Liepāja | Adidas | |
| FS Metta/LU | Nike | |
| Skonto FC | Jako | SA Football Agency |
| FK Spartaks Jūrmala | Nike | Hanseatisches Fußball Kontor |
| FK Ventspils | Adidas | VK Tranzīts |
League table
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liepāja (C) | 24 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 48 | 23 | +25 | 52 | Qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round |
| 2 | Skonto (R) | 24 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 43 | 23 | +20 | 45 | Relegation to the Latvian First League[a] |
| 3 | Ventspils | 24 | 11 | 10 | 3 | 39 | 16 | +23 | 43 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round[b] |
| 4 | Jelgava | 24 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 26 | 18 | +8 | 41 | |
| 5 | Spartaks Jūrmala | 24 | 5 | 6 | 13 | 20 | 36 | −16 | 21 | |
| 6 | BFC Daugavpils | 24 | 2 | 8 | 14 | 14 | 37 | −23 | 14 | |
| 7 | METTA/LU (O) | 24 | 3 | 3 | 18 | 19 | 56 | −37 | 12 | Qualification for the relegation play-offs |
| — | Gulbene (D, R) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Exclusion[c] |
Source: UEFA Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Matches won; 5) Goal difference; 6) Goals scored; 7) Fairplay ranking; 8) Play-off.[5][6]
(C) Champions; (D) Disqualified; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Matches won; 5) Goal difference; 6) Goals scored; 7) Fairplay ranking; 8) Play-off.[5][6]
(C) Champions; (D) Disqualified; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- ^ Skonto failed to obtain a licence to play at the Higher League.
- ^ Jelgava qualified for the Europa League first qualifying round by winning the 2015–16 Latvian Football Cup
- ^ On 3 June 2015, Gulbene were excluded from the top league and their results were expunged after suspicion of match-fixing.[3][4]
Relegation play-offs
editThe 7th-placed side will face the runners-up of the 2015 Latvian First League in a two-legged play-off, with the winner being awarded a spot in the 2016 Higher League competition.
| Valmiera Glass FK/BSS | 1–3 | FS METTA/LU |
|---|---|---|
Bruno Bērziņš  48' |
Ingars Stuglis 50' Gatis Kalniņš 70'Roberts Uldriķis 81' |
| FS METTA/LU | 6-2 | Valmiera Glass FK/BSS |
|---|---|---|
| Roberts Uldriķis 18', 49' Gatis Kalniņš 37', 90+2'Armands Pētersons 55'Rendijs Šibass 75' |
Jānis Lapss 70' Valts Jaunzems 77' |
FS METTA/LU won 9–3 on aggregate.
Results
edit|
|
Season statistics
editTop scorers
edit- As of 7 November 2015
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Dāvis Ikaunieks
|
Liepāja | 15 |
| 2 | Vladislavs Gutkovskis
|
Skonto | 10 |
 Ndue Mujeci
|
Ventspils | ||
| 4 | Ģirts Karlsons
|
Ventspils | 8 |
| Andrejs Kovaļovs
|
Skonto |
Updated to match(es) played on 7 November 2015.
Source:UEFA
References
edit- ^ Rolands Eliņš (2015-03-13). ""Liepāja" un "Skonto" Virslīgas jaunās sezonas pirmajā mačā". Sportacentrs.com.
- ^ 'Gulbenes' dublieru komanda varēs turpināt piedalīties Latvijas dublieru čempionātā, Delfi, 4 June 2015, accessed 10 June 2015
- ^ "LFF DK 3.JŪNIJA SĒDES LĒMUMI" [LFF DK JUNE 3 MEETING DECISIONS] (in Latvian). Latvian Football Federation. 3 June 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
- ^ 'Gulbenes' dublieru komanda varēs turpināt piedalīties Latvijas dublieru čempionātā, Delfi, 4 June 2015, accessed 10 June 2015
- ^ "2015. GADA LATVIJAS VIRSLĪGAS FUTBOLA ČEMPIONĀTA REGLAMENTS" (PDF) (in Latvian). Latvian Football Federation. 8 January 2015. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ "Virsliga 2015 - Season rules". Scoresway. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2015.