Futsal A League Round: "Vikings" Face the Challenge of "Akmenė Region"

2025-01-09 20:31 © futsal.lt

Before the regular season of the "TOPsport futsal A league" ends, teams have 4-5 matches left to play. This weekend, "Gargždų pramogos" will try to strengthen their position in second place, "Vikingai" will fight to stay in contention for a top-three finish, and "VGTU Vilkai" aim to move closer to the seventh spot.

The capital team will host "Radviliškis," having lost to them 2:5 at the start of the season. Ignoring that match, in the remaining time "VGTU Vilkai" have earned 6 points, while "Radviliškis" has 7. The intrigue is heightened by the fact that a week ago the players from Radviliškis were unable to put up a fight against "Gargždų pramogų," who triumphed 7:0.

"Such matches can bring anything. They are very important for both teams, as the standings show. Players from both teams will want to win, so we need to play focused and with a serious attitude," said "VGTU Vilkai" manager Marijus Rimas.

Ahead of this match, on Saturday, the second-placed "Gargždų pramogų" club will aim for another victory against "Kėdainiai United" at home. With a three-point lead over "Brooklyn" in the tournament, if the gargždai succeed, they will further solidify their place in the top three.

"It may seem that some victories come easily, but no one sees or knows how much work was put in before the season. We work hard in a weekly cycle, and the coaches prepare plans for each match, so victories are a result of the effort put in.

Of course, when the weekly plan is successful, the psychological attitude is not to give up and to continue striving consistently. The match against "Kėdainiai United" will be tough; they look much more serious than at the start of the season, so we prepare, as always, for a serious battle and will try to defend our home fort," said gargždai player Deividas Padaigis.

A week before, "Kauno Žalgiris," on an eleven-match winning streak, will try to increase their point tally by three against Mažeikiai VIP this Sunday at the Kaunas sports hall. The Žemaitians are currently solidly occupying the fifth place.

"Before the match, it feels different to play against a former team. However, when the game starts, you play as always. VIP is a very unpredictable team this year. We don't want the winning streak to end, so we must be ready to fight, and we will be ready," said former VIP leader Vladimiras Derendiajevas.

The fourteenth round will conclude in Jonavos, where "Vikingai" will host "Akmenės kraštas," who posed a serious challenge last week. The "Vikingai" themselves regretfully let a victory slip away against "Brooklyn" in their last match.

The situation is such that the points against "Brooklyn" did not push us forward. Now, every match feels like a final—we cannot afford to make mistakes. Of course, not everything depends solely on us. Now we need the teams above us in the standings to drop some points.

Returning to the match in Vilkaviškis, we should have played a more solid second half. Unfortunately, we lost our heads and were punished for it. Speaking about the upcoming duel with "Akmenės kraštas," they performed very well against "Kauno Žalgiris" last week. It's not surprising, as the team has strengthened with several new players, which has improved their game. Both for them and for us, victories are very much needed, so the battle for three points will be very fierce," said "Vikingai" captain Paulius Osauskas.

14th round schedule:

January 11 at 12:00 PM: "Gargždų pramogos" – "Kėdainiai United"

January 12 at 12:00 PM: "Kauno Žalgiris" – VIP

January 12 at 1:00 PM: "VGTU Vilkai" – "Radviliškis"

January 12 at 2:00 PM: "Vikingai" – "Akmenės kraštas"