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The first football derby between the teams "REO" and "Žalgiris" started with a cautious game. In the first half, neither team created dangerous opportunities, but in the second half, real beauty of football could be seen. Just at the beginning of the second half, Soslanas Džojevas scored a goal for the "REO" team in the 47th minute, and after ten minutes Calum Elliot equalized the result with a precise shot. As the match approached the end, the players of Žalgiris searched for opportunities to score a goal and in the 87th minute Tomislavas Pekas found it, hitting a powerful shot that brought victory.
The head coach of VMFD "Žalgiris" Damir Petravičius was surprised by the excellent game of the opponents. "We won a very difficult match. To be honest, I didn't expect such a good performance from "REO". We had to adjust our game through substitutions. The new players who appeared on the field brought energy. We showed character, pressed the opponents and managed to comeback. I think only a good team with good players can survive in such difficult moments" - said Damir Petravičius.
The captain of Žalgiris Algis Jankauskas believes that the victory was achieved through character, luck, and a greater desire to win. "Playing was difficult because the opponents felt very comfortable on their own field. They promoted a tough, contact game and paid the most attention to defense. After scoring the first goal, "REO" quickly created another very dangerous opportunity. If they had managed to convert it, who knows if we would have been able to come back.
"REO" team's head coach Stasys Baranauskas says that the victory of Žalgiris was determined by the mistake of his players in the final minutes and their greater determination to win. "The match was tense, and its outcome was decided only in the final minutes. It's a shame we lost, but it will be a good experience for the players. "Žalgiris" demonstrated great resolve to win. With the result 2:1, we had the opportunity to score another goal and turn the game around, but unfortunately we couldn't. It's not the first time we lose at the end of a match, maybe the players can't handle the pressure. Today also, the last goal was scored after a mistake of our team. We believed we could win because in Lithuania there are no unbeatable teams. All teams are equal. We are newcomers, maybe that's why luck often turns away from us" - says the rookie strategist of the league.
"REO" defender Andžejus Romeiko believes that the lack of concentration prevented his team from fighting for victory in the capital derby against a very strong "Žalgiris" team. "Personally, these were the toughest match this season for me. Despite that, we had good opportunities and if we had taken them, we would probably have stood our ground. We failed to score, Žalgiris believed even more in their strength and punished us with two goals. We lacked strength and concentration." - said A. Romeiko. - "Today there was the Vilnius football derby, but I can say that we are not enemies, we are competitors."
