© EuroFootball.com
One of the most important matches of the last 36th round of the "A League" took place in Vilnius, where the capital's derby between "Vėtra" and "Žalgiris" clashed. Celebrating victory with a minimal advantage over opponents who had finished the match with ten men, they secured fourth place in the league and the unofficial title of the strongest Vilnius team for the visiting team that played at the "Žalgiris" stadium.
Vilnius "Vėtra" Stadium, 800 spectators Referee - Audrius Žuta 0 - 1 74' [0 - 1] Iulian Bursuc 84' Julius Raliukonis ("Vėtra") sent off
"Vėtra": Žutautas; Sasnauskas, Raliukonis, Barmoš, Žudys; Šernas, Preikšaitis (46' Talancev), Milošeski, Vėževičius; Lovčev (29' Juška), Kuznecov
"Žalgiris": Šetkus; Choruži, Ngapunu, I.Steško, Krukovski; Morinas, Vilėniškis, Ostap, Poderis (61' Lemežis), Bursuc; Labukas (75' Mižigurskis)
Before the last round, the intrigue remained only in the battle for fourth place. In order to keep it, "Žalgiris" had to defeat the "Vėtra," who already secured the third position, or hope for favorable results in other stadiums, where they could be overtaken by Marijampolė's "Sūduva" and Klaipėda's "Atlantas."
The start of the match at the "Vėtra" stadium was delayed because the field had to be cleared of the banners thrown by the fans onto the field. After the game resumed, the teams focused more on defense and did not rush forward. The first threat to the opponents' goal came from "Žalgiris" defender Marijanas Choruži, whose shot from the penalty area sailed wide, while the danger on the other end of the field arose after a sharp pass from Roberto Vėževičius.
In the middle of the second half, the game also intensified gradually, and knowing that "Sūduva" was ahead of "Šiauliai," the "Žalgiris" took the initiative. In the 52nd minute, E. Poderis found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper after a pass from J. Bursuc, but trying to earn a penalty from V. Žutautas, the "Žalgiris" player fell instead of shooting, missing the opportunity.
However, the pressure from "Žalgiris" eventually paid off - in the 74th minute, the ball landed in the penalty area for the "Vėtra" players as they failed to clear it properly, and it found its way to an open T. Labukas, who couldn't shoot but instead made a Moldovan legionnaire Julijanas Bursukas score from 6 meters and put his team ahead.
Without the motivation to play, the "Vėtra" failed to mount a serious response, and with six minutes left, the hosts were reduced to ten men as team captain Julius Raliukonis received a second yellow card for a foul on Virmantas Lemežis.
In the end, "Žalgiris" could have increased their lead through Valerijus Mižigurskis, but he fumbled after receiving a nice pass from V. Lemežis and was surrounded by defenders, falling, only earning a yellow card for simulation. In added time, the "Žalgiris" attacker was close to receiving a deep ball and managed to do so with the ball.
"Žalgiris" not only secured fourth place and a ticket to the upcoming Baltic Football League season, but also became the unofficial champion of the capital city, as they earned the most points in the matches against Vilnius clubs. However, the "Vėtra" team did not dwell too much on it, as they could celebrate with bronze medals and the chance to play in the Interoto Cup next year.
