Riders defeated the Gargždai Wave club at home

2025-04-12 17:06 © fkriteriai.lt

In the "TOPsport A League" match of the round, "Riteriai" in Gargždai3:1defeated "Banga" and achieved their second consecutive victory. The goals for the capital team were scored by Benjaminas Mulahalilovičius, Nojus Stankevičius, and Meinardas Mikulėnas.

Compared to last weekend's victorious match against "Panevėžys," "Riteriai's" head coach Nikola Vitorovičius made two changes to the starting lineup. This time, Armandas Šveistrys and Ryhanas Stewart, who received such confidence from the coach for the first time, stepped onto the field from the very beginning.

The duel started more successfully for "Banga," which made three shots at the "Riteriai" goal within the first two minutes. All three attempts were made by Aaron Olugbogi, who initially faced serious resistance from Garissono Innocento, and in his third attempt, shot inaccurately.

This cold shower didn't wake up "Riteriai." A few more unprovoked mistakes gave the opponents potentially dangerous chances to open the scoring. G. Innocentas successfully engaged in the game again, and the defenders corrected their mistakes.

Slowly, the game leveled out. "Riteriai" started spending more time in the opponents' half, and the increasing number of set pieces began to worry the home team's players. Although the chances for "Riteriai" during that segment of the match couldn’t be called hundred percent, the control of the game shifted to the capital team.

The first hundred percent chance belonged to Milan Rutkovski. After a perfectly executed corner kick by Armandas Šveistrys, Milan found himself alone in front of the empty goal, but he failed to capitalize on such an opportunity.

The first half of the match was inexorably nearing its end. With six minutes remaining, Rokas Filipavičius found himself in a very dangerous situation, but Niclas Hakansson managed to get into position and blocked the shot by the former "Riteriai" player.

Having defended successfully, "Riteriai" rushed into a fast counterattack, during which Leifas Estevez made a very nice pass into the penalty area to Jakub Wawszczyk, who, while falling, passed the ball back to B. Mulahalilovičius, who scored his first goal in the "TOPsport A League" with one touch.

It is clear that the "Banga" players did not expect such a scenario. There was a sense of confusion in their game, which "Riteriai" successfully exploited. High pressure during the added time allowed them to regain possession of the ball, and a handball by the opponent in the penalty area resulted in a penalty kick. For the second consecutive match, N. Stankevičius scored from the spot, guaranteeing a two-goal advantage for "Riteriai" just before halftime.

Right after the break, the "Banga" players tried to activate their forward play, but they had no chances to successfully enter the third zone. The "Riteriai" defenders worked excellently, extinguishing any flames that were about to ignite.

Ten minutes into the second half, N. Vitorovičius made the first substitution, replacing A. Šveistrys with D. Rimpa. The latter successfully integrated into the game and soon participated in an attack where M. Mikulėnas was put through one-on-one against Mantas Bertašiūnas. This time the "Banga" goalkeeper was fortunate.

With a third of the second half remaining, Rokas Stanulevičius and A. Kaulinis also stepped onto the field. The latter could have scored after half a minute. A corner from "Banga" turned into a counterattack for "Riteriai," four against one. M. Mikulėnas passed the ball to A. Kaulinis in a decisive phase, but his shot was inaccurate.

Two minutes later, A. Kaulinis had another unsuccessful shot, but it turned into a fantastic chance for M. Mikulėnas. Finding himself in the right place, the "Riteriai" forward sent the ball into the net from close range, scoring his fifth goal of the season. No other player in the league can boast such a result.

As the match approached its end, "Riteriai" perhaps believed in their victory a bit too early and allowed the opponents to earn a penalty in an easy situation. Aivaras Emsis converted it, reducing his team's deficit.

Although there were still five minutes left to play in added time, no threats were created at G. Innocento's goal during that time. After the match, M. Mikulėnas was recognized as the best player.