© EuroFootball.com
Lithuania's national team failed to avenge a painful defeat five years ago and had to acknowledge the superiority of the Georgia team in Tbilisi.
Georgia 1 - 0 Lithuania
57' Mikhail Ashvetia
Lithuania's lineup
Ž.Karčemarskas; A.Skarbalius, A.Skerla, T.Žvirgždauskas (87' D.Žutautas), M.Stankevičius; E.Česnauskis (79' E.Jankauskas), A.Gedgaudas (55' A.Kučys), N.Barasa, D.Šemberas, D.Česnauskis, R.Poškus (42' T.Radzinevičius)
Prior to the match, Lithuania's coach A.Liubinskas had problems with selecting the attacking lineup - T.Danilevičius caught a cold during training, and E.Jankauskas was not in the best health, so a tactical system with five defenders and only one striker, R.Poškus, was chosen.
The match started more actively for the Lithuanians, but they failed to create more dangerous chances, and the first attempt by Poškus from a distance was easily caught by the opponents' goalkeeper Lomaya. The hosts were threatened by Asatiani, whose shot from a distance missed the goal.
The same Asatiani continued to be one of the most active players in the Georgia team, and in the 12th minute, Ž.Karčemarskas had to work after his shot, deflecting the opponent's attempt away from the goal.
The match proceeded at a slower pace, with a lot of battles in the midfield. In the 32nd minute, the Lithuanians created one of their most dangerous attacks - after D.Česnauskis' breakthrough into the penalty area, A.Gedgaudas took a shot, but his attempt went straight to the goalkeeper.
As the first half approached the end, Lithuania's situation became significantly complicated. Initially, the only striker R.Poškus suffered a serious injury, for which a opponent received a yellow card, and soon after a similar foul, the referee decided to send M.Stankevičius off the field for some reason.
For a while, the Lithuanians had to play with nine players, and Georgia's players, gaining a numerical advantage, created a dangerous opportunity, but luckily Jakobia's shot missed the target. After a couple of minutes, it was Lithuania's turn to attack, but E.Česnauskis failed to successfully hit the goal.
With three minutes left, T.Radzinevičius, who had little international experience, entered the field instead of the injured R.Poškus. A minute later, the Georgians played dangerously again when a sharp pass from the right side did not reach any of the opponent's attackers. So, no goals were scored in the first half.
The second half started with a siege of the Lithuanian goal. Already in one of the first attacks, Ashvetia could score, but his header was deflected off the field by Karčemarskas. This was followed by a corner, and in the Lithuanian goalkeeper's absence, D.Česnauskis saved the situation by clearing the ball from the goal line.
Finally, Georgia managed to score in the 57th minute - M.Asatiani received a pass at the edge of the penalty area, A.Skerla failed to defend against the opponent, who passed the ball to M.Ashvetia, who corrected it and sent it into the goal, putting his team ahead.
The hosts continued their dangerous attacks, and in the 65th minute, Ashvetia was stopped in the penalty area by the defenders at the last minute. Two minutes later, after Karčemarskas lost the ball, Gigiadze passed it to Ashvetia, but the Georgian striker's shot towards the empty goal was blocked by T.Žvirgždauskas.
Gradually, the Georgians became more aggressive and even the defensive players started running into the attack: in the 72nd minute, Sasiašvilis shot over the goal, and four minutes later, Gogua's shot towards himself was also somewhat inaccurate.
With eleven minutes left, E.Jankauskas managed to break away from the Lithuanian ranks into the field of the guests, but even for him, who had experience playing deep in the field, it was difficult to get involved in the game. The match ended with a score of 1-0, and Lithuania's national team lost to Georgia for the third time in a row.
The next match awaits the Lithuanian national team in the World Cup qualifiers - on March 30th in Sarajevo, they will have to play against the Bosnia and Herzegovina team.
