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After the victory against Klaipėda's "Atlantas," "Žalgiris" captain Deividas Šemberas stated that the capital team proved to be worthy of the champions title.
"You saw for yourselves who is the strongest team in Lithuania. Today we proved it with our game.
I believe the result speaks for itself. We deservedly won the match and showed who is the champion, the leader, and who will be in first place," said the 35-year-old "Žalgiris" defender after the 4-0 match ended.
He admitted that during the match, the capital team's players had to work hard to secure a solid victory against the team from the port city.
"Although the result shows that the match was easy, in reality, it was tough. Goals didn't come as easily as it may seem from the sidelines. Nevertheless, we played well, fulfilled what the coach commanded. I am very pleased that every player who was on the field did what they had to do. That led us to success," said D. Šemberas.
The "Žalgiris" captain revealed that the capital team's players meticulously prepared for the match against the strongest teams from last season's "SMScredit.lt" A League and did not underestimate the opponent beforehand. "We participated in video analysis, studied the opponent's team. We knew that 'Atlantas' is our direct competitor, so we prepared our game plan accordingly. We respect every opponent, including the 'Atlantas' team," said the green and white defender.
D. Šemberas was glad that they didn't concede a goal, but acknowledged that the defenders should perform even better. "It's great that Armantas Vitkauskas kept a clean sheet in the match. Defenders need time to build a reliable partnership to play better and more consistently. Today we made fewer mistakes, but there were still some. There are things to improve, and we all understand that," added the Žalgiris player.
He believes that he is currently not in optimal physical shape. "It's hard to play matches without the physical preparation that takes place before the season. That's why I still don't feel as I should. I've only been playing in the championship for three weeks. Naturally, I still lack strength. It takes time, and it's natural. During the matches, physical form will improve," hopes the "Žalgiris" captain.
