© EuroFootball.com
During the 13th round of the A League at the Vilnius "Žalgiris" stadium, the unexpected winners were the visiting football players from Šilutė, who achieved their first victory of the season.
Vilnius "Žalgiris" stadium, 200 spectators
Referee - Audrius Kancleris
0 - 1
7' [0 - 1] Mirijan Choruži (own goal)
"Žalgiris": Šetkus, Gražiūnas, Krukovski (46' Mižigurskis), Aleksa, Choruži (70' Rukštelė), Lemežis (65' Falčik), I.Steško, Poderis, Morinas, Puotkalis, Labukas
"Šilutė": L.Vertelis; Mockus, Nesterenko, Pacevičius, Z.Butkus; Papečkys, Petrenko (77' Podelis), Kižys, Mačiulis (53' Juozaitis), Gražys, Rimkevičius (61' Grigalevičius)
At the beginning of the match, the South-IV stand was empty, as the Žalgiris fans expressed their opinion on this year's NFKA schedule.
The match started with Žalgiris playing more actively, with dangerous shots from Tadas Labukas and a dangerous cross from Marijušas Krukovski. However, in the 7th minute, the goal fell into the Vilnius club's net: after a pass from T. Papečkys into the penalty area, the Žalgiris player Mirijan Choruži directed the ball into his own net. After conceding the goal, Žalgiris was a little shaken, but in the 10th minute, a dangerous shot from Andrius Puotkalis almost disarmed their goalkeeper and Šilutė's defender.
Another dangerous moment occurred near the visitors' goal, when Igorins Morinas received the ball in the penalty area, but neither he nor Virmantas Lemežis could make a shot. Žalgiris continued their attacks, but they struggled to finish them accurately.
After about 20 minutes, Gerdas Aleksa dangerously crossed the ball into the penalty area, but Šilutė's goalkeeper Laurynas Vertelis caught Andrius Puotkalis' shot.
A few minutes later, the visitors could have doubled their lead. Carelessly leaving their net open, Šilutė's player missed the shot. Žalgiris continued their attacks, with dangerous shots from A. Puotkalis and T. Labukas, but the result remained unchanged.
In the second half, Šilutė's players retreated to their own goal and based their game on counterattacks. The visitors' game was particularly energized by the appearance of former Žalgiris player Mindaugas Grigalevičius after a substitution. His raids constantly challenged Žalgiris' defense, but he couldn't make accurate shots.
Both teams exchanged dangerous attacks, but neither team managed to score. E. Poderis had perhaps the best opportunity to equalize the score with a shot from a few meters, but it went straight to the goalkeeper. The final whistle marked the unexpected victory for Šilutė with a score of 1-0.
