ATHENS, Greece — Two first half goals from veteran striker Māris Verpakovskis were not enough for Latvia as they went down 5-2 to Greece.

Latvia had their fair share of the possession in the first half which was reflected in the 2-1 lead which they held going into halftime. It was the hosts who struck first through Theofanis Gekas in the eighth minute. However, it did not take long for Latvia to strike back, courtesy of Verpakovskis. Verpakovskis was again the go to man for Latvia in the 40th minute when he added his second goal.

Most Latvians would have been happy for the game to finish here but the old adage that “it is a game of two halves” could not have been truer for Latvia. Unfortunately their first half momentum did not carry into the second half, as Gekas successfully converted from the penalty sport in the 47th minute. 10 minutes later Grekas had his third and Greece had the lead.

The situation did not improve for Latvia as Georgios Samaras added his fourth before Gekas struck the final blow in the 91st minute to blow the score out. The score did not truly reflect how close the game really was, but Latvia unfortunately did not to score more despite going close on a number of occasions.

With just one game remaining against Moldova in Riga on Oct. 14, Latvia will have to not only win but also have a number of other games go in their favor if they are to regain second-place in the group.