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About a half of a thousand kilometers and nearly 30 transfers without stopping for the night. This is the road that some of the most loyal fans of the Lithuanian national football team are preparing to travel to support their team in Liechtenstein. About 100 Lithuanians will support the team In the European Championship qualification match between Liechtenstein and Lithuania, which will take place in Vaduz on June 3, a total of about 100 Lithuanian football team fans are expected to attend. Although slightly fewer fans reserved their places in the Lithuanian sector of the stadium in advance, some of them plan to buy tickets on the spot. "Although the trip to Liechtenstein is more complicated and more expensive than to the Czech Republic or Austria, almost the same number of fans bought tickets in advance," said Rolandas Dubosas, head of the online store "Sportfan" that reserved the tickets. According to him, the tickets were mostly purchased by fans from Vilnius, Kaunas, and Panevėžys. In Liechtenstein, the team will also be supported by Lithuanians from Belgium, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Fans travel in different ways Fans will travel to Liechtenstein in various ways and in small groups - by plane, train, bus, or their own cars. One group of dedicated team supporters chose a difficult but economical way of traveling - almost exclusively by train without overnight stays. On the long journey route, a flight to Frankfurt is planned for the forward journey, from where the group of fans will travel to Vaduz by train. On the way back to Lithuania, the fans will return without flights. During the journey there and back, fans will have to cover about 2,500 kilometers with about 30 transfers. They like train journeys Since the very first matches of the Lithuanian national team after the restoration of independence, Ingvaras Butautas, who has been following the team, says that he travels in this way not only for economical reasons. "Not everyone can afford to fly directly by plane. This is a minimally comfortable journey - first and foremost an economic decision, because there is no need to pay for accommodation in hotels. Why do we travel by train? I think it is the best long-distance communication method that is not only intended to get from point A to point B. During such a journey, you can experience more impressions, chat with local people," said I. Butautas. Returning, he heard only the referee's whistle For a football fan who couldn't go to official matches abroad after following the national team 47 times, there were various quirks during the long years of travel. In September 2000, returning from the Lithuanian national team's match with Romania in Bucharest, a fan of Vilnius "Žalgiris" hoped to make it to the Lithuanian championship matches held three days later. However, even after finishing the journey by taxi, he entered the stadium... to the final whistle. The Lithuanian and Liechtenstein national teams will face each other on June 3 at the "Rheinpark" stadium in Vaduz, the match will start at 8:30 PM Lithuanian time. The duel will be broadcast live on "Lietuvos Rytas" television.
