© EuroFootball.com
The Lithuanian national "B" football team on Wednesday demonstrated superiority over the youth (U-21) team in a friendly match in Marijampolė. In the test match, the seniors won with a score of 3:0. Coaches of both teams tested the candidates for the national team and evaluated the shortcomings of the teams.
The striking duo scored goals
The Lithuanian "B" and U-21 national teams met for the second time in the last month. This time the match took place in Marijampolė's football arena, with only Lithuanian club footballers representing the teams. The "B" team was reduced in numbers before the match – the injured defender Auirimas Kučys of Panevėžio "Ekrano" could not attend.
In the first half, the "B" team played more successfully in the offense and scored three goals after precise attacks. The striker from Alytus "Dainava", Arsenijus Buinickis, scored in the 14th minute. VMFD "Žalgiris" striker Nerijus Astrauskas broke through the opponent's defense in the middle of the first half. Just before the break, he scored again.
In the second half, the game was more balanced, with all substitute players appearing on the field. The youth team had opportunities to reduce the gap, but their attacks ended inaccurately. The score remained 3:0 until the end of the match.
The coach selected a few players
The national team coach Raimondas Žutautas was satisfied with the first half of the match and stated that he plans to play another such test match in a month.
"On the new turf, we saw a game of good quality in the first half today. Marijampolė currently has a higher-quality playing surface, while the turf in Vilnius already needs to be changed. In the second half, the players probably got a bit tired, as their physical form is not the best yet. I hope to play another similar match in April", the coach said.
He was pleased that both main team strikers, A. Buinickis and N. Astrauskas, played productively.
The U-21 team coach Vitalijus Stankevičius, analyzing the match, stated that the game revealed team weaknesses in defense.
"There were two different halves. In the first half, we looked worse, especially in terms of defense. Perhaps it affected that we gathered directly for the match. On the other hand, only one player changed after the first match - this time we tried Justas Baltrimavičius on the right side. We didn't perform well in defense until halftime and after severe mistakes, we conceded three goals. The second half was mediocre", the strategist evaluated.
He regretted that from the beginning of the second half, two players dropped out of the lineup: "Marius Miškinis got injured, and Tadas Eliošius felt back pain and asked to be substituted. We didn't want to risk players' health before the upcoming championship."
The coach stated that he was not surprised that this time the "B" team won with a more solid advantage. The first match between the teams in the summer ended with a score of 2:1 in favor of the seniors. "As the championship approaches, the older players are getting into better sports form because they play in the main lineups. The youth don't play as much, some only represent the reserves. We still have a lot of work ahead. We will be able to play better at the end of March when we have a longer camp and will play against the Latvian national team", V. Stankevičius said.
The friendly match of the U-21 team with Latvia is scheduled for March 24 or 25. On the latter day in Kaunas, the national teams of Lithuania and Poland will meet. On March 29, the Lithuania national team will face the world champion Spain.
Match statistics:
Lithuania B - Lithuania U-21 3:0 (3:0) Goals: 14 min. Arsenij Buinickij, 22 and 44 min. Nerijus Astrauskas (Lithuania B). Warnings: 33 min. Jaunius Juozaitis (U-21), 37 min. Valdemar Borovskij (B).
Lithuania B: Marius Rapalis (46 min. Saulius Klevinskas), Vaidas Slavickas, Mantas Fridrikas, Algis Jankauskas, Valdemar Borovskij, Marijan Choruži, Ramūnas Radavičius (46 min. Mikas Kura), Tomas Vyšniauskas, Povilas Leimonas, Arsenij Buinickij (57 min. Tautvydas Švelna), Nerijus Astrauskas (46 min. Tadas Markevičius).
Lithuania U-21: Aivaras Bražinskas (67 min. Aurimas Dubickas), Paulius Drublionis, Marius Miškinis (46 min. Vilmantas Bagdanavičius), Lukas Martišauskis, Justinas Baltrimavičius, Tadas Eliošius (43 min. Jevgenij Moroz), Jaunius Juozaitis, Karolis Chvedukas, Artūras Žulpa (83 min. Karolis Jarmalavičius), Arminas Vaskela (66 min. Edvinas Petkus), Audrius Brokas.
