Riga win 2-1 in Nicosia
Riga took all three points from their visit to Aris in a club friendly on Friday, winning 2-1 at the home side's ground. The match took place on October 3rd as part of the pre-season schedule, and by then both teams were already looking to settle into their new setups.
Aris had been finding form of late, picking up wins against Digenis Ipsonas and Karmitissa in their last two outings before this fixture. The hosts carried the side in those matches, but Riga had their own momentum coming in. The Latvians were unbeaten in five going into this game, with victories over Eglava and Super Nova among them.
There is no value left at that number when you are talking about friendlies — results matter less than what the staff can see. To be fair, Aris showed enough in those recent games to suggest they were building something, but Riga's consistency was the difference here. They held their nerve for a narrow away win.
What the result means is not much in the table, because there is no table for friendlies. But for the coaches, it provides a baseline. Aris sit on the back of two wins and a draw, while Riga's five-game unbeaten run extends to six now. That kind of form in September suggests they are ready for the league.
