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The Vilnius team that held a training camp in Turkey lost their first friendly match to the Russian vice-champion Moscow club "Spartak" with a score of 1-2.
At the beginning of the match, the game was balanced. In the 14th minute, the ball ended up in the "Spartak" net - Brazilian Lima Severino outjumped the opponents' goalkeeper and accurately sent the ball into the goal. However, the referee made a very questionable decision - he called offside and did not count the goal.
In the middle of the first half, "Spartak" took the lead - after a penalty kick from the edge of the field, Renatas Sabitovas scored a close-range goal. At the end of the first half, Mindaugas Panka had to leave the field due to injury. He was replaced by Egidijus Juška, who livened up the game and soon made a successful pass - Vitalis Stankevičius took advantage of a precise pass and tricked the goalkeeper to score the first goal wearing the "Vėtra" jersey. In the 43rd minute, the score became 1-1.
During the break, "Spartak" made many changes. A balanced game took place in the middle of the field for a long time. In the middle of the second half, "Vėtra" started attacking more. In the 65th minute, E.Juška could have scored after a counterattack, but his shot was blocked by defenders. In the 78th minute, after a corner kick, Brazilian Pedro dangerously shot with his head, but the ball flew over the goal.
At the end of the match, "Vėtra" defenders played with their hands near the penalty area line and a penalty kick was awarded to the Vilnius team. It was impressively converted by Aleksandras Pavlenko, putting "Spartak" ahead 1-2. Soon after, Dejan Milošeskis could have responded with a similar shot - unfortunately, the Macedonian's penalty kick from more than 20 meters was inaccurate. At the very end of the match, the Russian team could have increased the difference - "Vėtra" was saved by the crossbar.
The head coach of "Vėtra" Aleksandras Tarchanovas was satisfied with the game: "It was a very useful repetition with a strong opponent. The fairest result would be a draw, because the game was even. The referee did not count our goal, although there was no offside. It was an interesting game, with many combinations, and the players are already following many of my instructions, even though it is just the beginning of our preparation. Most of the defense line is made up of newcomers, but I liked their game - Algis Jankauskas and Davit Čigladzė played well, and a contract has already been agreed with Davit.”
"It will take more time for Marijan Budimir and Almir Sulejmanovičius to adapt. Julius Raliukonis played in the holding midfielder position and also did well. Bobi Božinovski is not fully recovered from his injury, and Dejan Milošeski also needs time to get in shape. I am satisfied with Vitalis Stankevičius’ performance in the attack, and Lima Severino also has a lot of potential," - said A. Tarchanovas about the players' performance.
The "Vėtra" team played in the following lineup: Vaidas Žutautas, Algis Jankauskas, Marijan Budimir, Almir Sulejmanovičius (67 min. Nerijus Sasnauskas), Davit Čigladzė (85 min. Darvydas Šernas), Julius Raliukonis, Mindaugas Panka (42 min. Egidijus Juška), Bobi Božinovski (65 min. Pedro), Dejan Milošeski, Vitalis Stankevičius, Lima Severino.
