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Vilnius "Žalgiris" surged forward in the "SMScredit.lt A League" tournament table, while "Šiauliai" legionnaire Niko Tokičius is in the list of top scorers.
Monopoly. In the first round of the championship, five teams secured victories, after the second round the leaders were Vilnius "Žalgiris" and Gargždai "Banga", after the third round Pakruojo "Kruoja" took the lead. Neither the teams from Gargždai nor Pakruojo managed to win in the fourth round, and the country's champions from the capital took advantage of this.
Sniper. After the second round, the top scorers in the "SMScredit.lt A League" player list were Evaldas Razulis from Klaipėda's "Atlantas" and Serge Nyuiadzi from "Žalgiris". In the matches between these teams, neither scored, while three players from "Žalgiris" - Jakubas Wilkas, Linas Pilibaitis, and Kristis Andreou, and Aivaras Bagočius from "Kruoja" scored. However, all were overshadowed by N. Tokičius - in the match against Alytus "Dainava", the Croat scored his third and fourth goals this season and became the leader of the "SMScredit.lt A League" snipers list.
Foreigners. Over the course of five match rounds, as many as 35 foreigners appeared on the fields. "Klaipėdos Granitas" and "Banga" used the maximum new extended limit of foreign players - they started the match with six foreigners on the pitch. The team from the port city also allowed a seventh arrival from abroad onto the field. Of course, without violating the regulations - Gadji Adžijev from Russia stepped onto the field at the same moment that the Georgian Georgy Alaverdashvili left, so the limit of six foreigners in the team who could play at the same time was not violated.
Iceberg. "Žalgiris" crushed the overnight vice-champion Klaipėda "Atlantas" 4-0 at home. In just one match, the team from the port city scored as many goals as in the entire previous championship - in all four matches. The green and white maintain the average of four goals per match, overpowering their opponents as ruthlessly as the iceberg that once sank the Titanic.
Demotivation. "Atlantas" played in Vilnius without injured goalkeepers Marius Papšys and Andrius Bartkus, but coach Konstantinas Sarsanija did not emphasize this after the crushing defeat. He only admitted that "Žalgiris" is currently stronger and explained that last year the residents of Klaipėda were strong because the players wanted to prove their worth, but this year this desire has noticeably decreased.
Quote. "Success is not for those who rested longer, but for those who score more goals," logically observed Panevėžys "Ekranas" goalkeeper Tomas Salamanavičius, asked before the match against "Banga" whether the Panevėžys players who had just a couple of days of rest would lack energy. No one scored, no one won, although "Ekranas" coach Valdas Dambrauskas had to rotate the lineup this time due to a busy schedule - goalkeepers Edgaras Baranauskas, Dovydas Norvilas, and striker Lukas Kochanauskas started the match on the bench and entered the field from there.
Barrier. "Banga" has not conceded a goal in four consecutive matches. Although the team from Gargždai has only scored two goals, two wins by a minimal margin and two goalless draws allow them to remain in third place on the tournament table, trailing "Žalgiris" by just two points.
Zero. "Banga" does not concede, "Dainava" does not score. The account of Alytus goals remains empty, while yet another solid portion of goals arrived at their net. This time, "Dainava" was beaten 5-0 by "Šiauliai". In four matches, the outsiders conceded 18 goals.
Goals. In the match against the team of Dzūkai, who still cannot register new footballers, not only N. Tokičius but also the center-back of Šiauliai Vytas Gašpuitis scored two goals.
Series. "Klaipėdos Granitas" played to a draw for the third time in a row. In the 2-2 draw with "Kruoja", the city's footballers traditionally conceded first but avoided defeat. This time, the team coached by Robertas Poškus could have won, but in the second half allowed the opponents to equalize, and at the end of the match, the ball hit the crossbar of "Kruoja" goal after a Klaipėda attack.
Sting. The victory of "Trakai" against Marijampolės "Sūduva" away was decided by the only goal from Povilas Krasnovskis in the fourth minute of added time. There was no time for Marijampolė players to recover. "Football is sometimes unfair. I told the guys that they did everything they could," remained the conclusion for the losing coach Darius Gvildys.
Surprise. "Sūduva," evaluated before the season as one of the most strengthened teams in the league and one of the main rivals of "Žalgiris" in the fight for the champion title, once again dropped to ninth, second to last, in the tournament table.
Cities. Vilnius - the capital of the country and the largest metropolis. "Žalgiris" - the leader. After four rounds of the "SMScredit.lt A League" championship, teams from the smallest cities represented in the league found themselves in second to fourth place. Pakruojo, Gargždai, and Trakai players occupy these positions.
