FC Twente defeated FC Riga 2-0 in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League third-round playoff.
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After seeing off Hammarby last week, Twente hosted Riga without the injured Sem Steijn and Gijs Smal. Alfons Sampsted and Ricky van Wolfswinkel came into the eleven.
Van Wolfswinkel went close early on with a header before Sampsted made it 1-0 in the 11th minute. The full-back raced in on goal after a fine move and he made no mistake with his finish.
Twente were the dominant force but chances came and went for the hosts. Michel Vlap and Manfred Ugalde wasted opportunities before the break, while in the second half, Riga goalkeeper Nils Purins kept the score at 1-0 with a number of saves.
The second goal finally came in the 67th minute when Naci Unuvar’s shot was deflected into the path of Daan Rots, who hammered the ball into the net via the underside of the crossbar.
Further chances came for Twente but they settled for a 2-0 victory, despite having 25 efforts on goal. The second leg takes place in Latvia next week.
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