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During the seemingly most interesting 35th round of the A League on Sunday, in the Vilnius derby, "Žalgiris" and "Vilnius" met. After a fierce and dramatic battle in difficult conditions, the match ended in a 1-1 draw - the home team Žalgiris managed to score a goal at the end of the match and maintain the fourth position.
Vilnius "Žalgiris" Stadium Referee - Viktoras Chileckis 1 - 1 50' [0 - 1] Vytautas Lukša 86' [1 - 1] Igoris Morinas
"Žalgiris": Šetkus; Choruži, Ngapunu, Steško, Krukovski (76' Mižigurskis); Morinas, Ostap, Vilėniškis, Bursuc; Poderis (65' Lemežis), Labukas
"Vilnius": Semež; Khubutia, Rodnei, Everton, Radavičius; Lukša, Paulinho, Panka, Muller (68' Ražanauskas); Laurišas, Wasiu (75' Adilson)
"Žalgiris" started the match with a usual lineup, while "Vilnius" was missing defender Žydrūnas Grudzinskas due to yellow cards, and Adrian Mrowiec did not play, so interim coach Ivan Švabovičius fielded Georgian Akaki Khubutia from the start, and Brazilian Everton played a bit closer to his own goal.
Both teams struggled to create attacks on the snowy field, and in the first 15 minutes, the only memorable moments were a scuffle between players after a mistake by Anatolijus Ostapas and a counterattack by Žalgiris, when Tadas Labukas bypassed the defender after a pass from Igoris Morinas.
The game intensified in the middle of the half, with Ostapas taking a shot over the goalpost, and Julijonas Bursukas' effort falling wide from 23 meters. After playing for more than half an hour, Bursukas unsuccessfully tried his luck again from distance, and a shot by a Žalgiris legionnaire missed the target.
"Žalgiris" continued to create more dangerous attacks, and in the 38th minute, the ball did not reach Eimantas Poderis, but Everton headed it out from the line after a shot by Bursukas. Towards the end of the half, "Vilnius" took the initiative and due to questionable decisions by the referee, tensions on the field increased. A penalty was awarded directly in front of the "Žalgiris" goal, but V. Lukša's shot hit the wall, and soon after, "Žalgiris" counterattacked dangerously, but the away team managed to defend.
Just before the break, "Vilnius" forward Akanni Wasiu went one-on-one, and after a collision with Ernestas Šetkus, the Nigerian player remained on the snowy field. Referee Viktoras Chileckis did not perceive a foul in that incident, causing discontent among the teammates of the injured player. However, the protests did not change anything - the first half ended goalless.
In the second half, the teams focused more on the game, and in the 48th minute Aivaras Laurišas took a dangerous penalty shot, which missed the target. A few minutes later, "Žalgiris" committed a foul again, and this time Vytautas Lukša took a penalty shot from a sharp angle, which caught Šetkus off guard and flew into the net - "Vilnius" took the lead.
"Žalgiris" shifted to offense, and in the 52nd minute, Igoris Steško scored an equalizer after intercepting the ball from "Vilnius" defenders. "Žalgiris" continued to attack, but failed to convert any opportunities into goals. The hosts pushed for a goal, but struggled to create something more dangerous during most of the second half, leading to a dramatic ending of the match.
In the 85th minute, a failed shot by A. Khubutia reached T. Labukas, but the Žalgiris forward missed the target from 13 meters, leading to disappointment for the fans. However, shortly after, "Žalgiris" fans could celebrate as a cross from the side found I. Morinas who equalized with a diving header.
Žalgiris felt the scent of victory, and a minute later Raimondas Vilėniškis missed the target from 8 meters after a solo run, but "Vilnius" also posed a threat on a counterattack. In the closing minutes, "Vilnius" managed to create another attack, but E. Šetkus saved Laurišas' shot from a sharp angle.
The match ended in a draw, which seemed to satisfy "Žalgiris" more - Arminas Narbekovas' coached team managed to secure a point and maintained the fourth position, overtaking Marijampolė's "Sūduva", while "Vilnius" lost all hopes of fighting for fourth place and now only has theoretical chances to claim fifth.
