3rd round: Rooney's hat-trick and the first divorce

2025-04-01 15:53 © lff.lt

After the national team break, the clubs of the "TOPsport Pirma lyga" returned to the stadiums in Round 3, addressing their starting gaps, while Kretinga's "Minija" surprised everyone with very early changes in the coaching staff.

Debuts. "These have been great three years, but this beautiful chapter of my career has come to an end," wrote Tjago Bomfimas. The Brazilian, who had been directing the Kretinga team for three seasons, said an emotional goodbye to the Kretinga "Minija" club. In Round 3, the reins of the team were taken over by T. Bomfimas' assistant Martynas Viluckas. His debut was not easy, as the Kretinga team faced the "Tauro" team from Tauragė on their turf. Nevertheless, the guests held on until the 55th minute when Mantas Pikčiūnas scored his first of two goals. "Minija's" chances of taking points were diminished by a tragic eight-minute spell, where they lost 0:3.

Kauno rajono "Hegelmann" reserves also had their debutant. In the matchup in Panevėžys against "Ekranas," it was not the head coach Tadas Vilkevičius who took the helm but his assistant Mantas Fridrikas. Indeed, T. Vilkevičius departed from the team not by choice but rather due to a severe leg injury incurred while playing padel. M. Fridrikas, who stepped in to fill the gap in the upcoming weeks, did not disappoint — the Kaunas team was trailing but managed to pull off a 2:1 victory.

"The coach was still close, albeit from a distance. I constantly heard him in my ear," smiled M. Fridrikas.

Derby. While "Minija" and "Ekranas" still feel the drought of points, "Jonava" recorded their first point in Round 3. They did this in the derby of the city of Jonava and the two league vice champions. Last year's second league vice champions faced the First League silver medalists "Be1" from Jonava with an experienced lineup, which was further strengthened by Richardas Beniušis in the second half. The 44-year-old goal machine, who set second league scoring records last year, did not manage to score this time — the tough match ended in a stalemate at 0:0.

The "Panevėžys" B youth team also snatched their first points. The Aukštaitians conquered the stronghold of Mažeikiai's "Atmosfera" with a score of 4:1. The most significant contribution came from the Panevėžys newcomer from Nigeria, Jobas Rooney Okpanachi. As befitting a player named after the legendary England striker Wayne Rooney, the 23-year-old footballer terrorized the Mažeikiai defense, netting a hat trick in 86 minutes on the field.

Style. Sharing the top spot in the tournament table, Vilnius BFA extended their streak of "clean" matches in Kaunas, defeating the "Kauno Žalgirio" reserves 2:0. The most famous BFA player, Arvydas Novikovas, helped the team this time with advice from the bench. His and the coaches' ideas were excellently executed on the field by Artiomas Osipovičius, who scored in the first half, and Nedas Garbaliauskas, who secured the winning point in the 86th minute. Together with "Tauras," BFA remains one of the only teams this season not to have conceded a goal yet.

The points tally of Vilnius district "TransINVEST" does not rely on an ideal defense but rather on a hurricane-like attack. In the match against Plungės "Babrungas," the Vilnius team had already scored 3 goals by the 13th minute, although they did let one in at some point. The open football fiesta continued after the break — the guests themselves scored five goals, while a player from Plungė, Adomas Latakas, directed the ball into his own net — 6:2.

Sniper. The third representative of the leaders' group, Klaipėda's "Neptūnas," was satisfied with a modest but no less confident victory of 2:0 against Vilnius "Žalgiris" B. The Klaipėda team scored both goals in the first 16 minutes and then reliably protected their gained advantage. After successfully converting an 11-meter penalty, "Neptūnas" defender Tarasas Hevlychas maintained his position at the top of the league's scorers. The Ukrainian has netted 4 goals in less than 200 minutes on the field.

After being severely (5:1) taught a lesson in the first round by "Šiauliai" B, the Šiauliai team was not joking around this time. In the previous round, they snatched their first point and this weekend toppled none other than the league veterans, the Kėdainiai "Nevėžis" footballers, with a score of 4:2. The Kėdainiai team, playing on their home turf, was not shaken by the impressive strike from Ugniaus Avizovo in the 4th minute, nor by the shot from "Kauno Žalgirio" loaned out player Mery Traore in the 8th minute.