Latvia national under-21 football team

Latvia Under-21
Nickname(s)	Sarkanbaltsarkanie (The red-white-reds)
Association	Latvian Football Federation
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Aleksandrs Basovs
Captain	Jānis Beks
Most caps	Endijs Šlampe, Reinis Flaksis (31)
Top scorer	Edgars Gauračs (10)
First colours	Second colours
First international
	Latvia 0 - 0 Lithuania ; (Vilnius, Lithuania; 28 October 1992)
Biggest win
	Latvia 4 - 0 Estonia; (Carnikava, Latvia; 28 April 1994); Latvia 4 - 0 Andorra; (Riga, Latvia; 6 June 2009); Latvia 5 - 1 Romania; (Riga, Latvia; 9 October 2009); Turkmenistan 0 - 4 Latvia ; (Saint Petersburg, Russia; 26 January 2013); Latvia 4 - 0 Liechtenstein; (Jūrmala, Latvia; 11 June 2013)
Biggest defeat
	Latvia 0 - 6 Greece; (Athens, Greece; 9 June 1999); Latvia 0 - 6 Slovakia; (Jelgava, Latvia; 11 October 2011); Latvia 1 - 7 Switzerland; (Lugano, Switzerland; 8 September 2014)

The Latvia national under-21 football team represents the under-21s of Latvia and is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body of football in Latvia. The team competes in the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, held every two years. The team is coached by Aleksandrs Basovs and is currently captained by defender Daniels Balodis.

Following the realignment of UEFA's youth competitions in 1976, under-21 football teams in Europe were formed, while Latvian team was formed only in 1991, after regaining independence from USSR. The team is exclusively for football players that are aged 21 or under at the start of the two-year campaign of the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship meaning a player can represent the national team until the age of 23. Many U-21 players later represent the senior side.

Latvia U-21 have never yet qualified for the European U-21 championships, but has produced many players, who have become regular internationals for the senior side. Oskars Kļava, Deniss Ivanovs, Edgars Gauračs and Artjoms Rudņevs have all played for the U-21 side and are now first eleven players for Latvia internationally.

Latvia U-21 team plays its home matches at the Skonto stadions, which is also the home stadium of Latvia senior side. Before the opening of the Skonto stadions the team played its home matches in many different venues all around the country, including Ozolnieki, Daugavpils and Liepāja.

History edit

As a team, Latvia U-21 was formed in 1992, after regaining independence from the USSR. The team played its first match in Vilnius, Lithuania on October 28, 1992 that ended in a 0-0 draw. The team firstly participated in the European Championship qualification in 1994, playing the first match in Riga against Ireland U-21 on September 6, that ended in a 1-1 draw.^[1] Since 2001 the team also participates in the Baltic Cup, winning in 2008. Since 1992 Latvia have already played more than 100 matches.

UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship edit

2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification edit

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Italy	7	4	3	0	16	3	+13	15	Final tournament	—	15 Oct '24	2–0	2–0	1–1	5 Sep '24
2	Republic of Ireland	6	4	1	1	19	8	+11	13	Play-offs	2–2	—	11 Oct '24	10 Sep '24	3–2	3–0
3	Norway	6	4	0	2	21	6	+15	12		10 Sep '24	3–2	—	7–0	15 Oct '24	4–0
4	Latvia	6	2	1	3	5	12	−7	7^[a]		0–0	1–2	6 Sep '24	—	2–1	2–0
5	Turkey	6	2	1	3	11	8	+3	7^[a]		0–2	6 Sep '24	2–0	11 Oct '24	—	5–0
6	San Marino (E)	7	0	0	7	0	35	−35	0		0–7	0–7	0–7	15 Oct '24	10 Sep '24	—

Updated to match(es) played on 26 March 2024. Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(E) Eliminated
Notes:

^ ^a ^b Ranked on head-to-head points: Latvia 3, Turkey 0.

Results and fixtures edit

Win Draw Loss

2 June 2022 (2022-06-02) 2023 UEFA Euro U-21 qualification	Latvia	1–0	Israel	Skonto Stadium, Riga
17:30	Ozoliņš 46'	Report		Attendance: 300 Referee: Bulat Sariyev (Kazakhstan)

7 June 2022 (2022-06-07) 2023 UEFA Euro U-21 qualification	Latvia	0-2	Hungary	Skonto Stadium
19:00		Report	András Németh, András Németh

27 September 2022 (2022-09-27) Friendly	Poland	1-1	Latvia	Suwalki
18:30	Bartlomiej Kludka	Report	Kristiāns Kaušelis	Referee: Paweł Malec

18 November 2022 (2022-11-18) Under-21 Baltic Cup	Latvia	1-0	Estonia	Jānis Daliņš Stadium
13:00	Lūkass Vapne	Report		Attendance: 100 Referee: Donatas Šimenas (LTU)

20 November 2022 (2022-11-20) Under-21 Baltic Cup	Lithuania	1-2	Latvia	LFF Kauno treniruočių centro stadionas, Kaunas
15:00	Matas Dedura	Report	Deniss Meļņiks, Deniss Meļņiks	Referee: Ilie Laurentiu (SMR)

23 March 2023 (2023-03-23) Friendly	North Macedonia	0-3	Latvia	Bellis Deluxe, Antalia
16:00		Report	Artjoms Puzirevskis, Kristofers Rēķis, Kristofers Rēķis

26 March 2023 (2023-03-26) Friendly	Georgia	1-0	Latvia	Bellis Deluxe, Antalia
17:30	Giorgi Guliashvili	Report

20 June 2023 (2023-06-20) 2025 UEFA Euro U-21 qualification	Latvia	2-0	San Marino	Sloka Stadium, Jūrmala
18:00		Report	Dario Šits, Bruno Melnis	Attendance: 300 Referee: Helgi Mikael Jónasson (ISL)

Players edit

Current squad edit

The following players were called up for the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification matches.^[2]
Match dates: 8 and 12 September 2023
Opposition: Italy and Norway
Caps and goals correct as of: 1 September 2023, after the match against San Marino

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1GK	Jānis Beks	(2002-11-01) 1 November 2002 (age 21)	5	0	Metta
1GK	Sergejs Vilkovs	(2002-09-03) 3 September 2002 (age 21)	1	0	Tukums 2000
1GK	Klāvs Bethers	(2003-12-24) 24 December 2003 (age 20)	0	0	Catania

2DF	Aleksejs Kudeļkins	(2002-05-08) 8 May 2002 (age 21)	2	0	Daugavpils
2DF	Andris Deklavs	(2002-08-28) 28 August 2002 (age 21)	0	0	Jelgava
2DF	Rūdolfs Reingolcs	(2002-07-01) 1 July 2002 (age 21)	0	0	Tukums 2000
2DF	Jegors Novikovs	(2003-02-09) 9 February 2003 (age 21)	4	0	Auda
2DF	Ralfs Maslovs	(2003-08-02) 2 August 2003 (age 20)	0	0	Jelgava
2DF	Oļģerts Raščevskis	(2003-02-18) 18 February 2003 (age 21)	6	0	Super Nova
2DF	Niks Sliede	(2004-03-08) 8 March 2004 (age 20)	3	0	Valmiera FC

3MF	Roberts Meļķis	(2002-11-10) 10 November 2002 (age 21)	0	0	Liepāja
3MF	Oskars Vientiess	(2002-10-08) 8 October 2002 (age 21)	5	0	Metta
3MF	Deniss Meļņiks	(2002-09-07) 7 September 2002 (age 21)	10	2	Riga
3MF	Kaspars Anmanis	(2002-01-22) 22 January 2002 (age 22)	4	0	Tukums 2000
3MF	Danila Patijčuks	(2003-03-22) 22 March 2003 (age 21)	0	0	Liepāja
3MF	Lukass Vapne	(2003-08-31) 31 August 2003 (age 20)	10	0	Metta
3MF	Kristiāns Kaušelis	(2003-03-14) 14 March 2003 (age 21)	6	1	Super Nova
3MF	Bruno Melnis	(2002-03-18) 18 March 2002 (age 22)	1	1	Metta
3MF	Gļebs Žaleiko	(2002-03-18) 18 March 2002 (age 22)	2	0	FK RFS

4FW	Artjoms Puzirevskis	(2003-01-11) 11 January 2003 (age 21)	6	1	Metta
4FW	Valērijs Lizunovs	(2003-01-11) 11 January 2003 (age 21)	2	0	Daugavpils
4FW	Dario Šits	(2003-01-11) 11 January 2003 (age 21)	3	1	SPAL

Recent call-ups edit

The following players have been capped in the past 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Ņikita Šaraņins	(2003-01-04) 4 January 2003 (age 21)	0	0	FK Kalupe	v. Lithuania, 20 November 2022

DF	Rinalds Aizups	(2004-05-31) 31 May 2004 (age 19)	0	0	Daugavpils	v. Lithuania, 20 November 2022
DF	Rūdolfs Zeņģis	(2002-03-21) 21 March 2002 (age 22)	9	0	Jelgava	v. Georgia, 26 March 2023
DF	Markuss Kruglaužs	(2002-01-28) 28 January 2002 (age 22)	4	0	Liepāja	v. Georgia, 26 March 2023
DF	Kārlis Vilnis	(2003-07-03) 3 July 2003 (age 20)	1	0	Metta	v. San Marino, 20 June 2023
DF	Iļja Semjonovs	(2002-03-18) 18 March 2002 (age 22)	0	0	Auda	v. Georgia, 26 March 2023

MF	Eduards Dašķevičs	(2002-07-12) 12 July 2002 (age 21)	11	0	HamKam	v. Lithuania, 20 November 2022
MF	Maksims Fjodorovs	(2003-09-24) 24 September 2003 (age 20)	2	0	Grobiņas SC	v. San Marino, 20 June 2023
MF	Kristofers Rēķis	(2003-01-21) 21 January 2003 (age 21)	2	0	Metta	v. San Marino, 20 June 2023
MF	Mareks Mikšto	(2003-05-20) 20 May 2003 (age 20)	0	0	Daugavpils	v. Georgia, 26 March 2023
MF	Jevgenijs Miņins	(2002-03-17) 17 March 2002 (age 22)	0	0	Super Nova	v. Georgia, 26 March 2023
MF	Deņiss Rogovs	(2003-02-11) 11 February 2003 (age 21)	0	0	Tukums 2000	v. Georgia, 26 March 2023
MF	Gļebs Žaleiko	(2004-06-27) 27 June 2004 (age 19)	0	0	RFS	v. San Marino, 20 June 2023

FW	Artūrs Ostapenko	(2003-08-28) 28 August 2003 (age 20)	2	0	Super Nova	v. San Marino, 20 June 2023
FW	Valerijs Lizunovs	(2004-02-24) 24 February 2004 (age 20)	0	0	Daugavpils	v. Lithuania, 20 November 2022
FW	Rolands Bočs	(2003-07-03) 3 July 2003 (age 20)	5	1	AFA Olaine	v. San Marino, 20 June 2023

Staff edit

Head coach	Aleksandrs Basovs
Assistant coach	Aleksandrs Jeļisejevs
Assistant coach	Sergejs Golubevs
Goalkeeping coach	Andrejs Piedels
Physiotherapist	Sergejs Pečņikovs
Doctor	Oļegs Samoiļenko
Manager	Didzis Matīss

Coaching history edit

Aleksandrs Starkovs (1994)
Jurijs Andrejevs (1995)
Jānis Dreimanis (1996–1998)
Jurijs Andrejevs (1998–2001)
Jurijs Popkovs (2001–2003)
Jurijs Ševļakovs (2004–2005)
Genādijs Šitiks (2006–2009)
Mihails Zemļinskis (2009–2011)
Anton Joore (2012–2013)
Marians Pahars (2013)
Dainis Kazakevičs (2013–2019)
Aleksandrs Basovs (2020-)

Most capped players edit

Only official matches against U-21 national teams, not including against clubs or any other matches.

#	Name	Career	Caps	Goals
1.	Endijs Šlampe	2014–2016	31	0
1.	Reinis Flaksis	2013–2016	31	1
3.	Dmitrijs Klimaševičs	2014–2016	30	4
4.	Andrejs Kiriļins	2014–2016	29	0
	Vladislavs Gutkovskis	2014–2016	29	6
	Antonijs Černomordijs	20??–2018	29	1
7.	Jevgēņijs Kazačoks	20??–2016	27	5
7.	Eduards Tīdenbergs	20??–2016	27	2
9.	Edgars Vardanjans	2011–2014	25	1
9.	Kaspars Svārups	20??–2016	25	3

Players in bold are still available to play for the U-21 National team.

Best goalscorers edit

#	Name	Career	Caps	Goals
1.	Edgars Gauračs	2009–2009	9	10
2.	Deniss Rakels	2011–2013	13	6
2.	Vladislavs Gutkovskis	2014–2016	29	6
4.	Jevgēņijs Kazačoks	2013–2016	27	5
4.	Marko Regža	2018-	14	5
6.	Artjoms Rudņevs	2009–2009	10	4
6.	Dmitrijs Klimaševičs	2014–2016	30	4

References edit

^ "Games of the XXVI. Olympiad - Football Qualifying Tournament".
^ Suveizda, Agris. "Latvijas U21 izlase mājas spēlei pret Itāliju izsauc divus C sērijas futbolistus". Sportacentrs.com. Sportacentrs. Retrieved 1 September 2023.

External links edit

www.lff.lv

[table_hth_LAT0.67878866832647-2] Ranked on head-to-head points: Latvia 3, Turkey 0.

[1] "Games of the XXVI. Olympiad - Football Qualifying Tournament".

[3] Suveizda, Agris. "Latvijas U21 izlase mājas spēlei pret Itāliju izsauc divus C sērijas futbolistus". Sportacentrs.com. Sportacentrs. Retrieved 1 September 2023.

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