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In a friendly meeting held in Poland with Poznan's "Warta", the players of "Žalgiris" from Vilnius managed to come back after conceding the first goal and won with a score of 2:1 (1:1).
The Vilnius city football team "Žalgiris" played their second friendly match on Tuesday in Poland. This time, their opponent was the local team "Warta" from Poznan. After a tough battle, the Lithuanian vice-champions won with a score of 2:1.
The first goal was scored by Poznan's "Warta" players in the 14th minute. However, the "Žalgiris" players didn't give up after conceding a goal and managed to equalize the score in the 19th minute when Mantas Kuklys scored. The winning goal for the Lithuanian team was scored in the 63rd minute by the Croatian goalkeeper Andro Svrljuga.
The match started off tough for the VMFD "Žalgiris" team. In a high-paced game, Poznan's "Warta" managed to impose their playing style first. Pressing actively on the "Žalgiris" players, the Poznan team controlled the ball for a long time and created several dangerous attacks.
One of those attacks resulted in a goal in the 14th minute. A Poznan player on the right side of the field managed to evade the "Žalgiris" defenders and scored a precise shot into the goal defended by Marius Rapalis.
But the opponents' advantage didn't last long. Just five minutes after conceding, the "Žalgiris" players surprised the unprepared "Warta" defenders and equalized the score in the 19th minute. With a quick counterattack on their own half of the field, the "Žalgiris" players led by Mantas Kuklys leveled the score with a cold-blooded shot.
The players of the Lithuanian national team from the capital gradually started taking control of the game. "Warta" struggled to get closer to the "Žalgiris" goal, and the main events moved to the middle of the field. There was no shortage of tough battles, but the winners were not determined. The first half ended peacefully with an equal score.
In the second half of the game, things started off similarly: high pace, frequent attacks, and many shots. After the break, the "Žalgiris" players made three substitutions, and a fourth one was made after ten minutes. The new players brought additional energy and new ideas to the team.
For some time, the "Warta" players struggled to adapt to the changed game of "Žalgiris". Taking advantage of this, the Vilnius team surged forward in the 63rd minute. During a fast attack, Andro Svrljuga received a precise pass from a teammate and skillfully lifted the ball over the opponent's goalkeeper to score his first goal in the green and white outfit.
After some time, the Poznan team players made a strong effort to equalize the score. They managed to create several dangerous attacks and take penalty shots, but the disciplined "Žalgiris" defense did not make any mistakes. In the last minutes of the match, the "Warta" team almost conceded a third goal.
VMFD "Žalgiris" lineup: Marius Rapalis, Jaunius Juozaitis, Georgas Freidgeimas, Andrius Skerla, Karolis Urbaitis, Mantas Kuklys, Paulius Janušauskas, Andro Svrljuga, Pavelas Komolovas, Povilas Krasnovskis, Antonio Pejanovičius. Substitutes: Calumas Elliotas (46'), Arminas Vaskela (46'), Tomislavas Pekas (46'), Andrejus Nagumanovas (56'), Luka Peričius (56'), Raimondas Vilėniškis (68'), Mario Grgurovičius (68'), Algis Jankauskas (69'), Egidijus Vaitkūnas (73').
