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Now or never. Before the match in Vilnius tonight against "Žalgiris", the defending national football champion title-holder "Ekranas" from Panevėžys found themselves in such a situation.
Vilnius "Žalgiris" - Panevėžys "Ekranas". September 25 at 19.30. Vilnius, LFF stadium. So far in the championship - 2:0, 3:0.
Before the postponed match of the "SMScredit.lt A Lyga" championship's third round, the residents of Vilnius outscored the people of Panevėžys by seven points and have played one less match. The arithmetic is simple: for "Ekranas" to fight for gold, they need to win not only two matches against "Žalgiris", but also all the others and hope that Vilnius footballers stumble a couple more times.
So far this season, the statistical record of face-offs between the two teams from Aukštaitija can't comfort the team. "Žalgiris" not only defeated the champions twice, but did it convincingly, sending five "dry" bombs into the opponents' goal. Additionally, last weekend "Ekranas" suffered a painful defeat in Pakruojis, falling to "Kruoja", while "Žalgiris" enjoyed a victory against "Šiauliai" after two consecutive winless matches.
The residents of Vilnius prepared for the match in a relaxed manner. During one training session, they even filmed a television show where they would invite viewers to exercise together. It's understandable that tension is weighing on "Ekranas", but a cornered animal is known to be dangerous. Especially since in some matches of the "SMScredit.lt A Lyga" this year, the Panevėžys team managed to show a champion's character.
The loss that "Ekranas" will have to accept is the absence of their most experienced player. The 38-year-old forward Egidijus Varnas will miss the football battle in the capital due to yellow cards.
