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The Lithuanian national football team is facing their third test in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying tournament. On Friday evening, our team will seek to earn three points in the match against Liechtenstein and prove that last year's failure was just a coincidence.
Training shots on goal
Training in rainy Bavaria on the soft and wet ground benefited the Lithuanian footballers - similar conditions await in Liechtenstein. The day before the match, Vaduz saw some drizzle, and heavier rain is forecasted on match day.
In the final training session, a lot of focus was put on shots on goal. "The coach wanted us to take more shots, to feel the taste of scoring goals," defender Tadas Kijanskas said. "We will play as the 'first number', so we have to score goals. I think the opponents will not change their tactics and will play deep in defense."
According to national team head coach Csaba Laszlo, the team was focused during training and demonstrated confidence: "It is very important to want to win matches. We have to think about how to win tomorrow, not about past failures."
"What was is already done, but we can change the future. We want to prove that we are not weaker and we have to win such matches so that no questions arise," defender Marius Stankevičius added.
According to team captain Tomas Danilevičius, when playing against such opponents, it is important not to rush: "I think a goal will eventually be scored. Last year we had a good lesson and I hope we will not step on the same rake again."
Remembering a forward from Lithuania
When the Lithuanian national team played Liechtenstein for the first time in 1997 (winning 2-0), the match took place in Eschen, on a stadium without stands. This time, as last year, the match will be played at the picturesque "Rheinpark" stadium from where the mountains surrounding Liechtenstein can be clearly seen.
The cozy "Rheinpark" stadium, adapted for the Swiss first league championships, was opened in 1998 and later expanded. The stadium has almost 6 thousand seats. It is forecasted that this time less than half of the stadium will be filled during the meeting with the Lithuanians. About a hundred fans from Lithuania will be present.
"The hopes are high, but I think a draw would also be good for us. I know that Lithuanians played a draw with Slovaks 1:1. This is a progressing team with a new coach. The match will be really tough," said Ernst Hasler, a journalist from Liechtenstein's "Vaterland" newspaper, in an interview with Futbolo.TV.
He, as well as other local residents, remember not only last year's matches but also know well the former Lithuanian national team forward Vaidotas Šlekys, who played for the "Vaduz" club in the Swiss league a decade ago.
The match will be officiated by a refereeing team from Slovenia. The field referee will be the young 32-year-old Slavko Vinčič, who has already visited Lithuania during the Panevėžys "Ekrantas" UEFA Champions League qualifying match against "Shamrock Rovers".
The match will be broadcast live from 20:25 on "Lietuvos Rytas" television.
