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The team of Vilnius city football club "Žalgiris" after a very fierce battle lost 1:3 (0:2) to the champions of Cyprus Limassol AEL.
The strongest team in Cyprus did not have an easy walk. The VMFD "Žalgiris" team, preparing for the Europa League qualifying matches in Poland, fiercely resisted until the end of the match. The heat and aggressive new tactical maneuvers attempted by the Žalgiris players forced AEL footballers to sweat.
In the first half of the meeting in Warka, there was no shortage of dangerous episodes at both ends of the field. The opponents from Cyprus launched the first dangerous attack. Two AEL players in the penalty area managed to escape from the Žalgiris defenders, but goalkeeper Armantas Vitkauskas pushed the ball timely. A few moments later, Luka Pericic tested the opponents' goalkeeper with a long shot. The active Croatian player made another dangerous header in the 12th minute.
Facing serious resistance, the AEL team created several sharp attacks, but they ended in inaccuracies. Unable to impose their game on Žalgiris, the Cypriot champions occasionally lost their composure: hotly disputed referee decisions, kicking the ball out of play beyond the field boundaries. For the latter actions, they received the only yellow card in this match. Another good opportunity to score came in the 20th minute when Calum Elliot broke free from his defender, but his shot missed the target.
After the break, the game became even. At the beginning of the second half, an AEL forward intercepted the ball near the Žalgiris goal but made a very inaccurate pass to his teammate waiting on the other side of the field. In the 48th minute, Lithuanian vice-champions’ legionnaires, Pavel Komolovas and substitute Antonio Pejanovic, responded inaccurately, which could have been a very dangerous counterattack. In the 54th minute, Luka Pericic missed a great opportunity.
After a corner kick, a high-jumping defender strongly headed the ball, but it missed just beside the goalpost. After an hour of play, Tomislav Pekas took a devious penalty kick, after which the AEL goalkeeper had to catch the ball twice. The Cypriot champions after a few moments, in the 61st minute, scored the third goal. Breaking easily on the left side of the field, their player attracted Žalgiris goalkeeper Armantas Vitkauskas and made a pass to his teammate, who scored a precise shot from the edge of the penalty area. After this episode, neither team could create dangerous attacks until the end of the half. In the 86th minute, Žalgiris finally took advantage of their chance. Egidijus Vaitkūnas, during a quick attack from the right side, passed the ball to Paulius Janušauskas, who was lurking in the penalty area and scored a strong and accurate shot into the left corner of the goal. In the remaining time, the opponents tried to restore their lead, but Žalgiris players played disciplined defense.
VMFD "Žalgiris": Armantas Vitkauskas, Algis Jankauskas, Andrius Skerla, Luka Peričius, Egidijus Vaitkūnas, Andrejus Nagumanovas, Mario Grgurovičius, Vaidotas Šilėnas, Andro Svrljuga, Tomislavas Pekas, Calumas Elliotas. Substitutes: Pavel Komolovas (46'), Antonio Pejanovičius (46'), Mantas Kuklys (46'), Arminas Vaskela (65'), Raimondas Vilėniškis (65'), Georgas Freidgeimas (69'), Paulius Janušauskas (81').
