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On Saturday evening, in Vilnius, at the "Sportima" arena, "Žalgiris" preparing for the season defeated Gardino "Neman" from Belarus, coached by Lithuanian Liudas Rumbutis, in a friendly match with a score of 1-0.
"Žalgiris" 1 - 0 "Neman"
29' [1 - 0] Pawel Drumlak
"Žalgiris" lineup: Šetkus (Rapalis); Kazlauskas (Choruži), I.Steško, Ngapunu, Lukoševičius (Aleksa); Lemežis (Krukovski), A.Steško (Vilėniškis), Ostap (Veikutis), Drumlak (Romašovas), Puotkalis (Morinas); Bania (Poderis)
The match started with an unusual lineup for "Žalgiris", with two Polish legionnaires making their debut in the team - the goalkeeper Pawel Drumlak and forward Piotr Bania, both of whom played for the Polish national team.
At the beginning of the match, both teams struggled to approach the opponents' goal and create dangerous attacks.
However, it was almost half an hour into the game when "Žalgiris" managed to score the first goal - a shot from approximately 18 meters by the Polish player Pawel Drumlak. "Neman" soon responded with a penalty shot, which was saved by Ernestas Šetkus. The goalkeeper of "Žalgiris" didn't face any major problems before halftime.
In the second half, "Žalgiris" had the closest chances to score. Despite several opportunities, they managed to maintain their minimal lead and secure the first victory of the year with a 1-0 result.
After the match, the coach of "Žalgiris" Mindaugas Čepas expressed his joy over the victory, mentioning that the team is working hard, although they felt tired during the game.
When asked about the Polish legionnaires, M.Čepas commented: "The Polish players who joined the team today left a good impression, and I have no complaints about Edvinas Lukoševičius."
The coach also added that on February 22, "Žalgiris" will travel to Cyprus for a training camp to continue their preparation for the season.
Cameroonian legionnaire Bertrand Ngapunu, who returned to the team after the break, mentioned that there is a friendly and hard-working atmosphere within the team, and that teamwork and hard work during training were the keys to their victory.
