On Sunday, two superfinal matches of the Lithuania Children's and Youth Football Development Association (LVJUFA) First League took place in Kaunas.
In the superfinal for sixteen-year-olds, Visaginas BFA and Tauragė FA's "Tauras" teams competed. The start of the match went well for the Tauragė team, who scored four goals in 25 minutes - Vilnius Samoška scored a brace, Armandas Šetkus and Vilius Samoška increased the lead. Visaginas footballers narrowed the gap at the end of the first half with a precise shot from Marko Pučkos.
In the second half, Visaginas BFA played without the dismissed Žilvinas Macijauskas, and the opponents further extended their lead. Ridas Gramba and Mantas Liorančas secured their team's victory with a score of 6:1. The victory in the superfinal gave the "Tauras" team the right to compete in the next season's "Samsung Galaxy Watch" Elite Youth League U18 division.
Yesterday at the stadium, representatives of the U18 division - Vilnius BFA and Tauragė FA's "Tauras" competed. Vilnius' Giedrius Onuškevičius scored goals in the 5th and 21st minutes, while Tauragė responded with a goal from Simas Petraičius in the 48th minute. The teams demonstrated a fierce battle for the rest of the match, but no more goals were scored. Vilnius BFA team ended their season with a triumph 2:1.
The participants of the superfinal rejoiced in their deserved awards, which were presented by LVJUFA director Algirdas Kvalkauskas, association board member Dainora Jonaitė, KAFF honorary president Romas Pikčilingis, and youth national team coach Lukas Artimavičius.
The best player in the U16 superfinal was recognized as Vilius Samoška (Tauras FA), and in the U18 superfinal it was Artiom Kočerga (Vilnius BFA).
"I would like to celebrate the progress of Tauragė's Tauras FA and their ticket to the Elite Youth League - Tauragė is returning to the highest level of youth football. It was nice to see Visaginas BFA reach the superfinal for the first time and, despite the result, fight until the last minute.
Speaking of the senior football superfinal, it was a great match from both Vilnius BFA and Tauragė FA sides. However, there can only be one winner, and the title went to the Vilnius representatives. We wish all the footballers a proper rest during the summer and preparation for the upcoming season and challenges," concluded LVJUFA director Algirdas Kvalkauskas.
On Saturday at the LFF stadium in Vilnius, matches of the U13, U14, and U15 age divisions took place to qualify for the superfinal, where representatives of Southern and Eastern regional groups competed. Two out of the three matches that took place were particularly dramatic - requiring a penalty shootout.
The first teams to step onto the field were the I League thirteen-year-old age group teams - FK "Jonava" and FK "Ataka". The teams failed to score goals during the regular time - 0:0. The winner was determined in a penalty shootout - confidently executed by the team from Jonava, with a score of 4:1.
Similarly, the I League U14 division match between FK "Jonava" and FK "Margiris" unfolded. In this match too, there was a tie after 70 minutes 0:0, and once again, the Jonava team had success in the penalty shootout. The "Jonava" players scored 4 shots accurately, while "Margiris" managed 3.
The goals were abundant in the I League U15 division showdown between "Kauno Žalgiris" FA and "Vilnius Football Academy". The residents of Vilnius scored a goal in the first minute of the match, with Lukas Piotrovič as the author. The team from Kaunas equalized in the 17th minute thanks to Kajus Šimkus.
In the second half, "Vilnius Football Academy" celebrated goals - Domas Sinkevičius scored in the 45th minute and Jokūbas Vėžys secured the victory 3:1 in the 80th minute.
All remaining superfinal matches of the championships will take place at the Kaunas LFF Training Center Stadium.
June 18 LVJUFA I League Superfinals schedule:
12:00 p.m. FK Jonava - FK Banga, LVJUFA I League U13 division
2:00 p.m. FK Jonava - FK Gintaras, LVJUFA I League U14 division
4:00 p.m. Vilnius Football Academy - FC Džiugas, LVJUFA I League U15 division
