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In the battle for the champions title of the "Optibet A Lyga", Marijampolė's "Sūduva" suffered another blow. In the 34th round match, the Suvalkians lost 1:2 (0:1) to the Kaunas district's "Hegelmann Litauen" team in added time. Although "Sūduva" controlled the ball more at the beginning of the match, "Hegelmann Litauen" started more effectively and took the lead in the fifth minute. After a great pass by Nauris Petkevičius, Levan Mačarašvilis broke into the penalty area and accurately struck the ball into the right corner of the goal. Inspired by the goal, the Kaunas team continued to play attractive football and repeatedly provoked mistakes from the opponents. Klaudijus Upstas had another chance to score in the penalty area, but his shot went just past the upper corner of the goal. N. Petkevičius also failed to capitalize on his chance. Meanwhile, the Suvalkians did not create any ambitious opportunities in the first half. After the break, "Sūduva" intensified their attacks and equalized the score in the 58th minute. On the right side of the attack, Jevgenas Jefremovas made a pass into the penalty area, where Aleksandras Makasis headed the ball towards the left post. Xabi Auzmendi, lurking there, easily beat the goalkeeper. Victor Basadre's team dominated the field for the rest of the match and sought opportunities to score a winning goal. However, "Hegelmann Litauen" tightened their defense and did not give gifts to their opponents. In added time, both teams had great chances to score, but the Kaunas team had the final say. In the last minute of the match, L. Mačarašvilis made a pass to Kyle Spence, who easily sent the ball into the goal. "Hegelmann Litauen" is in fifth place with 51 points, trailing the "Panevėžys" team by four points. "Sūduva" (67 points) ranks second and now has to hope for a slip-up from the leading Vilnius "Žalgiris" team, who have two games in hand.
