© EuroFootball.com
In Šilutė on Sunday, the last match of the Lithuanian football season took place - local "Šilutė" and Visaginas "Inter" teams competed in the play-off matches for a spot in the next season's "A League". In the dramatic encounter, this year's "Inter" team, which played in the "I League", won the victory and the right to move up.
Šilutė Stadium, 300 spectators Referee - Vijūnas Vasiliauskas "Šilutė" 1 - 1 "Inter" (First leg 1-1, final result 2-2, penalties 3-4) 51' [1 - 0] Mindaugas Žigutis 81' [1 - 1] Andrius Bulonas
The first leg in Visaginas ended in a 1-1 draw, meaning that "Inter" needed to score at least one goal in the away match to secure their spot in the "A League". The favorites were the "Šilutė" club, which occupied the penultimate place in the highest Lithuanian championship this season.
At the end of the first half, with no goals scored, the hosts took the lead after six minutes in the second half with a goal from Mindaugas Žigutis, borrowed from Klaipėda's "Atlantas".
However, the visitors did not give up, and with nine minutes left until the end of the match, former Vilnius "Polonia" midfielder Andrius Bulonas scored the equalizer, giving Visaginas footballers the chance to play extra time.
Since neither team managed to score in both extra time periods, the winner was determined by a penalty shootout. The representatives of the "I League" performed better, scoring four out of five penalties, while the goalkeeper stopped two of "Šilutė's" attempts.
"Inter" celebrated the victory and, after a nine-year break, earned the right to play in the strongest Lithuanian championship. Along with them, in case they receive the LFF license, Kaunas "Rodiklis" will also play in the "A League" next season, while "Šilutė" and the last remaining Kėdainiai "Nevėžis" will drop to the lower "I League" unchanged.
