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On Tuesday, preparations of the Lithuanian national football team for the EURO 2012 qualifying match with the European and World champion Spain intensified. The team tackled increasingly serious tasks during training sessions, while off the field they had to familiarize themselves with the local specifics and the footprint of world records.
Step by step towards gold - a unique opportunity
Two Lithuanian football players who compete in Lithuania - defenders Ramūnas Radavičius and Dominykas Galkevičius with Panevėžys "Ekranas" approached the A league champions title after defeating their opponents.
However, D. Galkevičius' success in recent weeks was threatened by an injury, causing concern to the national team coaches. Nevertheless, the defender managed to recover and scored a goal after coming on as a substitute in the A league match against Kaunas "Atlantas". "I strained my groin muscle, but I rested for a week, healed, and now I don't feel any consequences. I am healthy and ready," said the "Ekranas" defender.
He stated that the match against Spain on the opponents' field is an unusual event: "We will see up close what the world champions look like. Training will show everything, but if I were given the opportunity to play, it would be a test of myself and a chance, a kind of gift. In any case, I am glad to have the opportunity to be in the national team. I don't feel weaker in training, but it is nice to play with such players, from whom you can learn. It's a good experience and motivation."
In the footballer's opinion, the only thing that was missing for the Lithuanian national team before a very good start was a victory in the match against Scotland: "The unexpected victory against the Czech Republic shows that this Lithuanian team can play and can win against anyone. Whether we can fight for a place in the final stage will be shown in time. I think it is possible, you need to have this dream and strive for it."
M. Stankevičius is already well-known
On the second day, the national team members already had free time, but they could no longer spend it browsing the internet on computers or calling home on "Skype" after lunch. The wireless hotel internet could not handle the increased traffic, and solving the problem took the carefree Spaniards until late in the evening.
During that time, the peacefulness of the Lithuanian media was not disturbed, except for one exception. "Valencia" defender Marius Stankevičius had not yet debuted for his club, but he was already well known in Salamanca - the Lithuanian had to take photos with local fans and give interviews to the television.
M. Stankevičius and his role in Spain have been the subject of much discussion lately, even among Lithuanian national team fans. Asked about this, national team strategist Raimondas Žutautas saw a positive side: "In the match against Spain, Marius has a good opportunity to prove that he can play in the starting lineup of Valencia. If he manages his defense well, Marius will definitely not go unnoticed."
Intensifying Training
On Tuesday, the Lithuanian national team bus took a different route to the "Helmantico" stadium for training than on Monday. "Maybe we won't need excursions anymore," joked one member of the national team staff after the final route through the center of Salamanca.
The national team staff were surprised to see two athletics records boards next to the training stadium - the triple jump world record was broken here by Jonathan Edwards, and the high jump by Javier Sotomayor. These records have not been surpassed to this day.
During the afternoon training sessions that progressed from lighter games in a smaller area to more serious football across the entire field and tactical combinations. The team solved the tasks set by the coaches on the field after analyzing the Czech Republic-Lithuania match.
In the evening, the whole Lithuanian delegation celebrated defender Arūnas Klimavičius' birthday, but the celebration was modest and symbolic - the team still has almost three intense preparation days ahead. The Lithuanian national team will meet the Spanish footballers again on Friday night at 23:00.
Images from Salamanca:
