© EuroFootball.com
For the sixth consecutive year, a record number of participants took part in the Lithuanian Journalists' Football Championship. Due to the main tournament sponsor "Oracle", twelve teams competed for the champions' cup. For the first time, the champions of Lithuania became journalists from Kaunas. Up to that point, all five titles were won by teams from the capital.
In the final, Kaunas journalists defeated the second team "Freelancers" of the Lithuanian Journalists' Union (LŽS) after a penalty shootout with a score of 4:3, as the main match ended goalless at 0:0. The hero of the final was the Kaunas team goalkeeper Giedrius Rodalevičius, who saved two penalties. He was chosen as the best player of the tournament and received a special prize from the mineral water producer "Vytautas".
"Finally!" - rejoiced Zigmas Jurevičius, the captain of the Kaunas journalists' team after the final. "It was not the first time we played in the final, but due to embarrassing mistakes we couldn't win. After five unsuccessful attempts, we finally won the gold and for the first time will bring the champions' cup to Kaunas from the capital."
Until then, all five Lithuanian Journalists' Football Championships were won by teams from Vilnius - twice by the LŽS sports journalists' team "Press" and the second team "Freelancers", and once by the students of Vilnius University's Journalism Institute.
In the battle for the bronze medals, two debutant teams of the Lithuanian Journalists' Football Championship - "Delfi.lt" and "Lietuvos rytas" teams clashed. The victory with a score of 1:0 after Paulius Garkauskas' goal was achieved by the journalists of "Delfi.lt".
The journalists of "Lietuvos rytas" team, who were left in fourth place, caused the biggest sensation in the quarterfinals - they defeated the sports journalists' team "Press" of LŽS, who lost the championship title, with a score of 1:0. The team was led by former national Lithuanian football team defender Žydrūnas Grudzinskas and commentator Nerijus Kesminas.
For the first time in the tournament's history, the team "Presso" was left without medals. In the battle for the fifth place, after a penalty shootout with a score of 5:3, they defeated the journalists from Klaipėda. The goalkeeper Tautvydas Vencevičius led "Press" to victory in the penalty shootout, as he made the first successful penalty kick and later saved three out of four opponent penalties. The striker from Klaipėda team, Vaidas Piliutikas, became the most productive player of the tournament, scoring 7 goals, and received the prize from the publishing house "Šiaurės Lietuva".
The seventh place was taken by the team "Propaganda" of public relations employees, the eighth - Panevėžys journalists. In ninth place were the journalists from Bryansk (Russia), who participated in the tournament as guests. The championship debutant team "Futbolo.tv" lined up further, the students from VU Journalism Institute were in eleventh place, and the twelfth place was taken by the team "LRT".
The champions of the Lithuanian Journalists' Football Championship earned the right to participate in the International Journalists' Tournament in Druskininkai for the ninth consecutive year. In the International tournament taking place at the end of May, journalists from ten countries intend to participate.
