© EuroFootball.com
Vilnius "Žalgiris" finished the first round with a victory and gained a four-point lead over the closest competitors, Gargždai "Bangos" football players. In the dramatic A League IX round match in Gargždai, the residents of Vilnius defeated the hosts 2-1 (1-1).
From the very first minutes, the initiative clearly belonged to the guests, as "Banga" handed over ball control to "Žalgiris" and waited for their chance in counterattacks.
It was really difficult for the "Žalgiris" players to find gaps in the reliable defenders of the hosts. The first real opportunity to take their team forward was Jakub Wilkas. The shot by the Polish legionnaire was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Šarūnas Jurevičius.
The disciplined defenders of "Bangos" did not force the "Žalgiris" defenders or goalkeeper Armantas Vitkauskas to make serious mistakes in the first half hour.
However, the first major mistake for the hosts cost them a goal. Artak Jedigarijanas shot at the goal, which was not caught by Š.Jurevičius on his first attempt, and it rebounded to Linas Pilibaitis, who took advantage of this unexpected opportunity and brought "Žalgiris" ahead.
After the goal, the Žalgiris players let "Bangos" take the initiative. Gargždai football players launched several sharp attacks, one of which forced A.Vitkauskas to catch the ball with his head.
The attacks paid off at the end of the half. A.Jedigarijanas fouled in the penalty area and the referee awarded a penalty kick for the infringement. Evaldas Grigaitis converted the perfect chance with a powerful shot, leaving no hope for A.Vitkauskas.
At the beginning of the second half, "Žalgiris" again controlled the situation in the middle of the field, but despite their team efforts, they did not create any dangerous attacks for a long time.
Andrezinho and Serge Nyuiadzi managed to break through the dense "Bangos" defense a couple of times individually, but just in the last moments, the defenders and the goalkeeper neutralized the emerging threat.
It must be acknowledged that the hosts defended confidently for almost the entire second half, but as the end of the match approached, the pressure on "Žalgiris" increased. S.Nyuiadzi missed excellent opportunities, his shot from close range was too weak and goalkeeper Š.Jurevičius caught the ball.
Unfortunately, all of "Bangos" efforts turned into nothing in the 92nd minute. J.Wilkas made a perfect pass to Andrezinho inside the penalty area, who stopped the high ball and precisely shot into the goal. Although the hosts tried to dispute the referee's decision to award the goal, as they believed the defender had managed to clear the ball from the goal line in time – the referee's decision was final.
Result:
Gargždai "Banga" 1 - 2 Vilnius "Žalgiris" 29' [0 - 1] L.Pilibaitis 45' [1 - 1] E.Grigaitis (11m penalty) 90' [1 - 2] Andrezinho
90' D.Šemberas ("Žalgiris") sent off
Tournament table:
