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Today, Marijampolė's "Sūduva" unexpectedly won the Lithuanian Football Federation Cup final for the first time in the club's history, narrowly defeating Panevėžys "Ekranas" and earning the right to compete in the UEFA Cup next season.
Kaunas S.Darius and S.Girėnas Stadium, 2000 spectators Referee - Viktoras Chileckis Marijampolė 1 - 0 Panevėžys 1` [1 - 0] Darius Maciulevičius
The match started very unexpectedly when, about 40 seconds in, the ball from a long shot by "Sūduva" defender Darius Maciulevičius found its way into the net after a small ricochet. This was the fourth goal by the veteran in LFF cup finals - he has scored three goals in the same stadium against the same "Ekranas" goalkeeper Arvydas Skrupskis in 1994 while playing for Vilnius "Žalgiris".
The start of the match was better than expected, and Algimantas Gabrys' proteges could focus more on defense, which they did very successfully.
Despite playing with great spirit, the "Ekranas" players did not manage to breach the defenses of the Suvalkai team, but in the first half they had several opportunities to score: around fifteen minutes in, Povilas Lukšys shot from about 8 meters above the goal, a few minutes later Aurimas Kučys faced the goalkeeper head-on from a corner, and a minute later Mantas Savėnas shot a penalty kick directly at "Sūduva" goalkeeper Gytis Padimanskas.
As the first half was coming to an end, referee Viktoras Chileckis' decision not to award a penalty kick from eleven meters when "Ekranas" forward Vitalijus Kavaliauskas was brought down just outside the penalty area sparked controversy.
Just before the end of the first half, "Sūduva" could have doubled their lead, but Arvydas Skrupskis successfully repelled a counterattack shot.
Despite trailing 1-0, the "Ekranas" players often demonstrated more eagerness to fight on the field than "Sūduva," so the second half proceeded quite slowly. The most realistic and perhaps only chance to score in the second half was by Povilas Lukšys: after a scramble in the "Sūduva" penalty area, Mantas Savėnas shot unsuccessfully from about 16 meters, and the ball bounced directly to P. Lukšys who shot fiercely over the goal from about 5 meters.
At the end of the match, the "Ekranas" goalkeeper A. Skrupskis also joined the attack, but this did not help the Panevėžys team break through the solid defense of "Sūduva."
This victory brings "Sūduva" a ticket to the UEFA Cup qualifying round next year, but it is bad news for fans of the two Vilnius clubs - "Žalgiris" and "Vėtra" - as well as Klaipėda's "Atlantas" and Šiauliai fans: "Sūduva's" victory means that even the team likely to finish third in the "A Lyga" will only have the Intertoto tournament to look forward to, while the team that finishes fourth in the league will not participate in European competitions.
