The Ventspils Gazette
Player ratings8 Mar 2027
Luka Stojković runs at them all day
Successful dribbles: 47. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Player ratings8 Mar 2027
Age has not caught Jesús Lugo yet — 8.42
At 36 he is supposed to be managing his minutes. Instead he was marked 8.42 and looked, for ninety minutes, exactly like the player everybody remembers.
Squad8 Mar 2027
Jesús Lugo signs on for more
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Jesús Lugo and Ventspils agree another 2 years.
Squad8 Mar 2027
Jesús Lugo in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ventspils this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom8 Mar 2027
Graduation day at Ventspils
5 boys move up, and somewhere in the building the people who coached them at twelve are quietly having the best morning of their working year. Nothing about this shows up in a result and it is why the academy exists.
Match6 Mar 2027
Luka Stojković the difference as Ventspils beat Spartaks
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Luka Stojković. 2‑1 against Spartaks, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
The terraces8 Mar 2027
Ventspils supporters have found a favourite in Luka Stojković
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 23-year-old it feels ownership of. Luka Stojković has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
Market8 Mar 2027
One of our own: Marcis Bulvitis joins the Ventspils first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Marcis Bulvitis is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market8 Mar 2027
Arturs Ikaunieks steps up from the Ventspils academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Arturs Ikaunieks has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
In brief
- Market One of our own: Davis Laizans joins the Ventspils first team
- Market Ventspils promote Raivis Rugins from within
- Squad Vitalijs Gabovs falls out with a teammate over standards