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The first 2014 test match of the Lithuanian national football team ended in a draw of 1:1 with the representatives of Kazakhstan. In the match held in Turkey, the Lithuanians took the lead early in the game after Gediminas Vičius' goal, but the result was equalized by Nurbolas Žumaskalijevas in the middle of the second half.
Head coach Igoris Pankratjevas: "At the moment, the result is not the most important thing. It was important to gather everyone together after the break and play. The match was necessary for both teams. Today's meeting was competitive. The Kazakhstan national team had a certain advantage because they had been training together for a week, while we only managed once. It felt like some players still had an early spring, not everyone is in optimal physical condition."
After the opening goal, we got caught up in the opponent's game. We needed to calm down more often, keep possession of the ball, not give up initiative. It happens that after conceding, opponents attack. However, the second half, in my opinion, was more balanced. During the break, we emphasized disciplined defense and quick counterattacks. We have quick full-backs, we wanted to use them more."
Defender Gediminas Vičius: "The match was interesting, it was a matter of principle for me. The Kazakhstan national team is not in the best athletic shape yet, with a new coach. I wouldn't evaluate our game badly. Especially considering we had almost no time to prepare for the match. In order to win, we needed to capitalize on our chances better. We also missed a goal that we could have avoided."
My goal was a simple standard situation. It happens that someone makes a mistake, and someone scores a goal. I really wanted to stand out because many of my colleagues played for the opponent's team. This was my first goal for the national team, so it is definitely memorable."
Defender Saulius Mikoliūnas: "These matches were meant to start preparing for the qualification cycle. There were many young faces in the team. Why couldn't we win? We lacked a bit of experience, composure. After scoring an early goal, we started to be a bit afraid, lost possession of the ball. We tried to go on quick attacks all at once when we could have been less rushed.
The rain didn't hinder, it actually made the game faster because the pitch quality was good. Young players fought and tried today. Such experiences are useful for them. The opponent was good, we are satisfied with this match."
Forward Lukas Spalvis: "We started the match very well, scored a quick goal. Later, we fell back a bit. But I think I did not bad, and the team played well.
To get into the national team, you train your whole life. It's nice that they invited me, gave me the opportunity to debut. What was missing for a win was accuracy in finishing attacks."
Defender Fedor Černych: "I am not satisfied with my performance, I didn't play the best match. A draw is a normal result, although we could have won today. Maybe after the first goal we started to worry too much. The Kazakhstan team started pressing, it was harder for us to play.
I think better coordination was missing. Every match is useful in some way. Today's match was a really good rehearsal."
