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In the second round of the "A League" championship, three more matches were played, in which the favorites won - "Ekranas" and "Sūduva" won at home, while "Kaunas" defeated "Žalgiris" away after a fierce battle.
Mantas Samusiovas, who returned to Lithuania, had a great debut - the former Moscow "Torpedo" player scored the only goal in the 5th minute between the local "Sūduva" and Klaipėda's "Atlantas", securing the victory and the first three points for "Sūduva".
The defending champions "Ekranas" faced last season's final round opponent, "Šiauliai", and avenged the defeat they suffered back then. Starting the match actively, the Panevėžys team put pressure on "Šiauliai" and finally broke their resistance in the 14th minute when Arūnas Klimavičius scored with a header after a penalty kick.
The "Ekranas" players continued to attack and eventually succeeded in breaking the "Šiauliai" defense. During one of the attacks, a penalty was committed in the opponent's penalty area by the "Šiauliai" newcomer from Ukraine, Sergejus Galyuza, and the referee hesitantly awarded an eleven-meter penalty, which was successfully converted by Mantas Savėnas - although the young Šiauliai goalkeeper Giedrius Arlauskis guessed the ball's direction, the shot was too strong.
In the first half, "Ekranas" newcomer Sergejus Pogrebanas had two excellent opportunities to increase the score, but he missed the target both times from fairly comfortable positions. The most realistic chance for "Šiauliai" in the first half was a powerful shot from the Nigerian Amaro Atigbiolaye from about 25 meters, but the host goalkeeper Arvydas Skrupskis demonstrated great reflexes.
In the second half, the "Ekranas" players seemed to lose their edge - they struggled for the ball, made costly mistakes, and appeared content with the current score. Although visitors seized the opportunity to slightly dominate, they failed to change the score. In the second half, the best chances to score for "Šiauliai" came from A. Atigbiolaye, who missed a free shot inside the penalty area, and Ilja Galyuza, who tested A. Skrupskis. The Panevėžys team had real opportunities to increase their margin with shots from outside the penalty area by the two safeties - Mantas Savėnas and Aurimas Kučys - but these attempts did not trouble G. Arlauskis.
The defeat for "Šiauliai" was further marred by a first-half injury to new team member Konstantinas Zemskov, who fell on his shoulder while fighting for a high ball. The 24-year-old defender was taken to the hospital by ambulance, but returned to the stadium before the end of the match with his arm immobilized. The severity of the injury should be determined after further examinations.
One of the most interesting matches of the round took place in Vilnius, where the hosts of the "Žalgiris" stadium faced "Kaunas" in windy and rainy weather. Both teams started the match actively, but neither could break through each other's defenses or the slippery pitch.
In the first half, "Žalgiris" had a good opportunity, but after a scramble in the penalty area, Tadas Labukas shot over the goal. "Žalgiris" continued to put up a fight against the country's vice-champion "Kaunas" and had another chance in the 37th minute when defender Tadas Gražiūnas headed the ball, but his attempt was slightly off target.
After the break, the more experienced "Kaunas" team gradually took control of the game, and in the 59th minute, Georgian Nukri Manchkava came close to scoring - his shot from 25 meters was saved by the "Žalgiris" goalkeeper Ernestas Šetkus.
The visitors' attacks became increasingly threatening, and although Šetkus made a great save in the 78th minute after a header, he couldn't do anything after a subsequent corner kick - Ričardas Beniušis, left unmarked on the edge, stopped the ball and sent it into the net.
After the first goal, the game opened up, and soon "Kaunas" found themselves playing with ten men, as newcomer defender Nerijus Radžius received a second yellow card for breaking up a counterattack.
However, switching to the offense, "Žalgiris" left gaps in defense, which former capital city player Giedrius Barevičius took advantage of - after shaky defending and goalkeeping, he scored the second goal.
Nevertheless, "Žalgiris" did not give up, and a few minutes later, they earned an 11-meter penalty, converted by the "Žalgiris" newcomer Andrius Puotkalis. In the final moments of the match, they had a chance to equalize, but Mindaugas Malinauskas successfully defended his goal.
After the match, both teams' coaches emphasized the importance of the start of the season. Acting as the temporary coach of "Kaunas," Eugenijus Riabovas celebrated his team's victory, which was psychologically important after a loss in the Lithuanian Football Federation Cup. He identified the main reason for the different performances in the two halves as the good game of "Žalgiris" in the first half.
Meanwhile, Igoris Pankratjevas, the coach of "Žalgiris," whose main sponsor is the newspaper "Respublika," expressed regret that they failed to start the new season successfully; however, he also stated that life does not end there. According to the coach, the Vilnius team played well, almost did not yield to their opponents, and only experienced a setback due to two glaring mistakes in defense.
