© EuroFootball.com
On Friday in Vilnius, in one of the four Lithuanian championship matches of the 19th round, local team "Vėtra" hosted Klaipėda's "Atlantas". In a tense and intense match, the capital's team achieved victory, managing to defeat the port city footballers for the first time in ten matches and halt the strong recent performance of the Klaipėda team.
Vilnius "Vėtra" stadium, 247 spectators Referee - Viktoras Chileckis 2 - 1 31' [1 - 0] Aidas Preikšaitis (penalty) 45' [1 - 1] Aivaras Laurišas 76' [2 - 1] Aidas Preikšaitis
32' Liudvikas Valius ("Atlantas"), 84' Robertas Vėževičius ("Vėtra") sent off
"Vėtra": Žutautas; Usačiov, Raliukonis, Jankauskas, Sasnauskas (66' Boikovs); Vėževičius, Preikšaitis, Miloševski (77' Božinovski), Šernas; Karčemarskas (46' Blažys), Kuznecov;
"Atlantas": Valius; Sulejmanovič, Žukauskas, Gnedojus, Bartkus, Lukoševičius; Navikas, Bartkus, Morozov, Gedgaudas (87' Danilyuk); Laurišas (83' Trakys), Karalius (33' Maksvytis);
After a long break, "Vėtra" played with almost full strength - the team's goal was once again guarded by the recovered experienced goalkeeper Vaidas Žutautas. The team was once again led by interim coach Vytautas Jančiauskas, while the newly appointed specialist from Russia, Aleksandras Tarchanovas, watched the match from the stands.
The hosts started the match more actively and early in the game, Rolandas Karčemarskas had a chance to score, but after breaking through alone against the goalkeeper, he missed the target, and soon after another "Vėtra" forward, Sergejus Kuznecovas, also missed his chance.
After a quick start, the game leveled off and there was a lot of battle in the middle of the field, both teams successfully defended against opponents' attacks, with one team then taking the initiative from the other. In the 30th minute, "Atlantas" goalkeeper Liudvikas Valius tried to defend against S. Kuznecovo's attack but punched the ball straight to Dejan Miloševski, however, the Klaipėda defenders managed to eliminate the danger.
Perhaps the most important moment of the match came in the 31st minute - after D. Miloševski's accurate pass near the penalty area, Darvydas Šernas found himself free and before he could pass to his teammate near the empty goal, the "Vėtra" defender knocked down goalkeeper L. Valius.
The referee Viktoras Chileckis awarded a penalty for the Klaipėda team, despite the protests of the visitors, and decided to send off the offending goalkeeper. "Atlantas" coach Sergejus Savčenkovas was forced to sacrifice forward Martynas Karalius and bring in Mindaugas Maksvytis, however, the goalkeeper could not stop Aidas Preikšaitis's shot from the spot and "Vėtra" took the lead.
"Atlantas" tried to equalize and in the 38th minute, V. Žutautas had to save his goal after a dangerous shot from the right side, and then a few minutes later, on the other end of the field, D. Miloševski struck the ball strongly from 25 meters, but the shot was blocked by "Vėtra" goalkeeper Almira Sulejmanovičius.
However, at the end of the first half, "Atlantas" managed to level the score when Maksimas Morozovas set up Aivaras Laurišas with a precise pass, and the forward scored with a precise shot into the corner of the goal, equalizing the score and giving hope to the Klaipėda team with one player less.
Just two minutes after the break, substitute Edvinas Blažys had a chance to score but he missed the target after beating the goalkeeper to the ball in a duel. The game calmed down again and "Atlantas" failed to create dangerous attacks, with the hosts' attacks usually being halted by the side referee.
S. Kuznecovas was the most active in the "Vėtra" attack, but he couldn't break through the opponent's defense, and in the 66th minute, after a pass from Robertas Vėževičius, the Ukrainian forward finally managed to head the ball wide. Ten minutes later, Aivaras Laurišas threatened the Vilnius goal with a powerful long-range shot, but his shot was aimed directly at V. Žutautas.
In the 76th minute, "Vėtra" finally capitalized on their numerical advantage - after breaking into the penalty area, the hosts hesitated to shoot until Bobis Božinovskis laid the ball off to A. Preikšaitis, who then shot accurately from about 20 meters into the corner of the "Atlantas" goal, beating goalkeeper M. Maksvytis and delighting the not very numerous "Vėtra" fans at the stadium on a hot day.
After the third goal, both teams could not contain the increasing tension and exchanged several rough tackles and fouls, after which the strength on the field became equal, as R. Vėževičius was sent off for a second yellow card. Towards the end of the match, neither B. Božinovski nor S. Kuznecovas could make a breakthrough in counterattacks, and in the fifth minute of added time, Valdas Trakys had a chance to equalize, but V. Žutautas saved his shot from close range after a pass from Taras Daniljuk.
"Vėtra" won the "thriller" and achieved their first victory in ten matches including Intertoto Cup matches, giving a farewell victory to coach V. Jančiauskas. Meanwhile, "Atlantas" had to admit their second failure in two months since losing to "Šiauliai" away on April 27.
After completing his short-term job as interim head coach, "Vėtra" strategist Vytautas Jančiauskas officially told the club's website after the match that the victory was achieved through teamwork.
"We should be happy that after a long break we finally achieved a victory. I think the match could have been easier for us if we had taken advantage of the chances we created near the opponents' goal. But we also need to appreciate the "Atlantas" team, which is well-assembled, all the linkages of the Klaipėda team are strong. This victory is important because we are coming out of a crisis. The team believed that they could win against those opponents who are at the top of the league table," - said V. Jančiauskas.
"Everything is still ahead, there are still 20 rounds left, which is quite a lot. Those gaps in the team's game and lineup that we have will try to fix in a short time. When we return after the break, which will be in the Lithuanian championship, I hope we will be able to demonstrate a different game," - hoped the coach.
