M. Rutkovskis, who earned a victory during the weekend: "A pleasant schedule awaits

Nineteen-year-old Milanas Rutkovskis scored his first goal of the season for "Riteriai" in the first round of the "TopSport First League" matches after a corner kick. It took eleven more battles for the defender to have another chance to celebrate a precise shot into the opponents' goal. And, to be honest, not just one chance, but two.

"Definitely something new. Two goals for a defender in a match is definitely not common. However, I had to rectify an unpleasant mistake...", remembering the goal in his own net in the first half, M. Rutkovskis said.

"Riteriai" opened their account three times in the first five minutes of the match this season. The last match against "Babrungas" was just like that, when Andrius Kaulinis scored at the beginning of the game.

"We entered the match, as always, fired up, wanting to set a good tempo. So we managed to score a quick goal. As later events showed, that goal did not guarantee anything...", M. Rutkovskis said.

With Vilnius leading 1-0, before the break the defender initially got into his own goal, and later left completely alone - he beat the "Babrungas" goalkeeper.

"I didn't expect to have so much space in the penalty area, but I stuck to the plan, got a good pass from Armando (Šveistras)... those things determined that I had so much freedom. Finishing the first half with an advantage is always better and easier. On the other hand, it didn't affect the game plan, as we still wanted to control the game and score more goals...", the defender shared his memories of the match.

Milanas, I've noticed that "Riteriai" play better in the second half when they lose in the first. This time it was different...

I think, like every team, if you lose in the first half, you come out even more fired up in the second. This time it was different, but starting to play better from the second half... our plan really doesn't include that.

Why do you think the team usually performs better when they have an advantage in the first half?

It's a sign of a young team - to relax after scoring goals. But we are growing and trying to avoid that.

Another moment - this year "Riteriai" often play better against stronger opponents than against weaker ones. What's the reason behind that?

Greater motivation for the youth to play against stronger teams. The lack of experience also plays a role, as young players often underestimate teams lower in the table, although they really shouldn't do that.

Now a two-week break..

And then a very exciting schedule (smiling)...

Are you afraid of losing momentum?

I don't think so. We are preparing responsibly for truly interesting battles against Top 5 championship teams, analyzing opponents, and I think the break will actually be beneficial for the players to recover from the previous matches.