Olegs Karavajevs
Encyclopedia
Oļegs Karavajevs is a former Latvia
n international football goalkeeper. Karavajevs was the goalkeeper with most appearances for Latvia in the 1990s.
(still within Soviet Union) with which Karavajevs played 18 matches in 1979. Karavajevs stayed with Frunze until 1984, except for a brief time with Pakhtakor Tashkent
in 1981. Then came a season with Kairat Almaty but Karavajevs became a real Soviet First League
goalkeeper in 1985 when he transferred to SKA Khabarovsk. With SKA he played 88 matches over two seasons and was invited to transfer to Daugava Rīga
where he took over the number one goalkeeper position from Aleksandrs Kulakovs
.
In 1987 Daugava with Karavajevs as an irreplaceable goalkeeper nearly earned promotion to the Soviet top league but in 1988 the performance of the club started to decline and Karavajevs had to battle for his position with Valeri Shantalosov.
In 1988 Karavajevs left Daugava for Fakel Voronezh
. For two seasons he was the top goalkeeper of Fakel but then he went abroad and joined Serbian club OFK Belgrade, playing back then in the Yugoslav First League
. While playing in Yugoslavia, his name was spelled and referred to as Oleg Karavajev. He came to Belgrade in summer 1990 having played the second half of the 1990-91 season back with Fakel. Next summer he returned and stayed with OFK until winter break of the 1992-93 season (already playing in the First League of FR Yugoslavia) when he returned to Latvia where and played with Olimpija Rīga
.
His next move came to Cyprus
where Karavajevs played for Evagoras Paphos in 1993/1994. From there his steps lead to Carl Zeiss Jena
and FSV Zwickau
in Germany.
For the 1998 season Karavajevs went to Latvia as he joined the champion club Skonto FC
where he played together with Aleksandrs Koļinko
who eventually would replace Karavajevs as the main goalkeeper for Latvia national football team
. In 1999 Karavajevs joined the newly-founded FK Rīga
with which he won the Latvian Cup and retired after the season.
. He was never a 100% first goalkeeper for Latvia, as he had a very strong opponent in the person of Raimonds Laizāns
who played for Skonto FC
- the base club for Latvia national team in the 90s. Still Karavajevs played slightly more for Latvia - he beat Laizāns by 7 matches but Karavajevs also usually played in the more important matches. Karavajevs played in several historic matches for Latvia - when it managed to hold draws against the Euro 1992 winners Denmark
and one of the strongest European national teams Spain
. He played his last 2 matches for Latvia in 1999 in two goalless draws against Greece
and Albania
.
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
n international football goalkeeper. Karavajevs was the goalkeeper with most appearances for Latvia in the 1990s.
Club playing career
His first club was Alga Frunze in KyrgyzstanKyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east...
(still within Soviet Union) with which Karavajevs played 18 matches in 1979. Karavajevs stayed with Frunze until 1984, except for a brief time with Pakhtakor Tashkent
FC Pakhtakor Tashkent
FC Pakhtakor Tashkent is an Uzbek professional football club, based in the capital Tashkent. Pakhtakor means cotton-grower in English.Playing in the Uzbek League since 1992, the club has been the undisputed powerhouse in Uzbekistan since the fall of the Soviet Union, winning eight Uzbek League...
in 1981. Then came a season with Kairat Almaty but Karavajevs became a real Soviet First League
Soviet First League
The Soviet First League was the second highest division of Soviet football, below the Soviet Top League. The division lasted from the inception of Soviet league football in 1936 to the dissolution of the USSR in 1991.-Overview:...
goalkeeper in 1985 when he transferred to SKA Khabarovsk. With SKA he played 88 matches over two seasons and was invited to transfer to Daugava Rīga
FK Daugava Riga
Previously FK Daugava 90 is a Latvian football club located in Riga and currently playing in Latvian First League. Formerly under the name Daugava the team was the headliner of Latvian football where played most of the countries top players but with the collapse of the Soviet Union the team ceased...
where he took over the number one goalkeeper position from Aleksandrs Kulakovs
Aleksandrs Kulakovs
Aleksandrs Kulakovs is a former Latvian football goalkeeper who played for the biggest part of his career for Daugava Rīga....
.
In 1987 Daugava with Karavajevs as an irreplaceable goalkeeper nearly earned promotion to the Soviet top league but in 1988 the performance of the club started to decline and Karavajevs had to battle for his position with Valeri Shantalosov.
In 1988 Karavajevs left Daugava for Fakel Voronezh
FC Fakel Voronezh
FC Fakel Voronezh is a Russian association football club based in Voronezh. Currently the club plays in the Russian First Division. The name of the club means "Torch" ....
. For two seasons he was the top goalkeeper of Fakel but then he went abroad and joined Serbian club OFK Belgrade, playing back then in the Yugoslav First League
Yugoslav First League
The Yugoslav First League was the premier football league in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and socialist Yugoslavia...
. While playing in Yugoslavia, his name was spelled and referred to as Oleg Karavajev. He came to Belgrade in summer 1990 having played the second half of the 1990-91 season back with Fakel. Next summer he returned and stayed with OFK until winter break of the 1992-93 season (already playing in the First League of FR Yugoslavia) when he returned to Latvia where and played with Olimpija Rīga
Olimpija Riga
Olimpija Rīga was a Latvian football club that played in the Latvian Virslīga from 1992 to 1995.-History:The club was founded in 1992 as Kompar-Daugava . In its debut season in Virslīga it finished in the 5th place in the league...
.
His next move came to Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
where Karavajevs played for Evagoras Paphos in 1993/1994. From there his steps lead to Carl Zeiss Jena
FC Carl Zeiss Jena
FC Carl Zeiss Jena is a German association football club based in Jena, Thuringia.-History:The club was founded in May 1903 by workers at the Carl Zeiss AG optics factory as the company-sponsored Fussball-Club der Firma Carl Zeiss. The club underwent name changes in 1911 to Fussball Club Carl Zeiss...
and FSV Zwickau
FSV Zwickau
FSV Zwickau is a German association football club located in Zwickau, Saxony. Today's club claims as part of its complex heritage sides that were East Germany's first champions: 1948 Ostzone winners SG Planitz and 1950 DDR-Oberliga champions ZSG Horch Zwickau.-History:In addition to the earliest...
in Germany.
For the 1998 season Karavajevs went to Latvia as he joined the champion club Skonto FC
Skonto FC
Skonto FC is a Latvian football club, founded in 1991. The club plays at the Skonto Stadium in Riga. Skonto won the Virsliga in the first 14 seasons of the league's existence , and often provides the core of the Latvia national football team...
where he played together with Aleksandrs Koļinko
Aleksandrs Kolinko
Aleksandrs Koļinko is a professional footballer, currently playing for FC Baltika Kaliningrad in Russian First Division.- Club career :...
who eventually would replace Karavajevs as the main goalkeeper for Latvia national football team
Latvia national football team
The Latvian national football team is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Latvia and represents the country in international football competitions, such as the World Cup and the European Championships. So far, they have never qualified for a FIFA World...
. In 1999 Karavajevs joined the newly-founded FK Rīga
FK Riga
FK Rīga was a Latvian football club based in Riga. They played in the Virslīga, the top division in Latvian football. They played their home games at Latvijas Universitates Stadions. In 1999, its first year of existence, the club won the Latvian Cup, beating Skonto at the final. The club also...
with which he won the Latvian Cup and retired after the season.
International playing career
In total from 1992 to 1999 Karavajevs played 38 matches for LatviaLatvia national football team
The Latvian national football team is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Latvia and represents the country in international football competitions, such as the World Cup and the European Championships. So far, they have never qualified for a FIFA World...
. He was never a 100% first goalkeeper for Latvia, as he had a very strong opponent in the person of Raimonds Laizāns
Raimonds Laizans
Raimonds Laizāns is a former Latvian football goalkeeper who played for Latvia national football team in the 1990s.-Club playing career:...
who played for Skonto FC
Skonto FC
Skonto FC is a Latvian football club, founded in 1991. The club plays at the Skonto Stadium in Riga. Skonto won the Virsliga in the first 14 seasons of the league's existence , and often provides the core of the Latvia national football team...
- the base club for Latvia national team in the 90s. Still Karavajevs played slightly more for Latvia - he beat Laizāns by 7 matches but Karavajevs also usually played in the more important matches. Karavajevs played in several historic matches for Latvia - when it managed to hold draws against the Euro 1992 winners Denmark
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
and one of the strongest European national teams Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
. He played his last 2 matches for Latvia in 1999 in two goalless draws against Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...
and Albania
Albania national football team
The Albania national association football team is the national association football team of Albania and is controlled by the Football Association of Albania...
.