© EuroFootball.com
In the Lithuanian Football "A League," the six-year domination of FBK "Kaunas" has finally ended - in the 33rd round of the 2005 season, Panevėžys "Ekranas" secured their 26th victory and clinched an unassailable ten-point lead with three rounds remaining, becoming the country's champions after a twelve-year hiatus.
For "Ekranas" to secure the gold medals, they needed a win against "Atlantas" in Šilutė - the match was played in this city due to the reconstruction of the Klaipėda stadium. Although no goals were scored in the first half, after the break V. Liubšys' team seemed to realise that everything needed to be resolved before the match against "Kaunas" in the penultimate round, and in the 49th minute, defender G. Paulauskas scored to put them in front.
After playing for just over an hour, team leader M. Savėnas took the initiative, scoring two quick goals in three minutes, ensuring that R. Maciulevičius' precise strike at the end of the match would seal the victory. Having settled for second place for two consecutive years, "Ekranas" secured the coveted title of Lithuanian champions, which they had last won in the 1993/4 season - interestingly, the team was then also coached by V. Liubšys, with current Panevėžys veterans A. Skrupskis and A. Banevičius in the squad.
Although the match in Šilutė clarified that the Kaunas match was now meaningless, "Kaunas" tried to defeat Vilnius "Žalgiris" at the S. Darius and S. Girėnas Stadium. The visitors were led in the 16th minute by V. Lemežis, but early in the second half, R. Beniušis levelled the score. A. Velička scored in the 58th minute to put "Kaunas" ahead, and soon I. Zelmikas added another goal, with later scoring an own goal - the match ended with the hosts' victory by a score of 3-2.
In Šiauliai, a surprising victory was recorded, as the local club overcame Vilnius "Vėtra" with a slim margin after A. Šidlauskas' goal in the 87th minute, allowing Marijampolė's "Sūduva" to get closer to the third place position held by the capital club, who had defeated Kėdainiai's "Nevėžis" at home. T. Radzinevičius scored three times for the Marijampolė team, with M. Uselis and A. Veikutis adding one goal each, while A. Popovas scored a consolation goal for the Kėdainiai team.
