Playing at home, the “Dragūnas” handball players dominated from the very beginning of the match. In the middle of the first half, the port city team led 10:5, and before the break, they had built a double-digit lead. “Dragūnas” did not allow the opponents to get closer in the second half either and won by a margin of 13 goals.
“We prepared the team that these are the first games of the season and they would not be easy. We wanted the team not to relax, and the men started the match very focused. I am still not satisfied with the offense because they did not fulfill what we wanted. The defense was very good at times, and for most of the match – good. We won, but there are still things that need to be fixed. The fight was not as easy as it might seem just by looking at the score,” said “Dragūnas” coach Miglius Astrauskas.
Among the winners, as many as 13 handball players scored goals, with Paulius Čėsna and Matas Kairys being the most effective, each scoring 6 goals. Lukas Juškėnas scored 5 goals, Arvydas Bučius, Artūras Budraitis, and Danilas Plachotinas added 3 goals each to the victory.
Klaipėda goalkeepers Ionas Saharneanas saved 8 shots out of 17 (47%), Benediktas Pakalniškis – 6 out of 13 (46%).
For the “Pieno žvaigždės” team, Modestas Štarolis scored 6 goals, Valentynas Jarošenko – 5, Andrijus Kasai – 4, Titas Janušonis – 3.
“In the first games of the season, the men wanted to perform as well as possible and obviously overexerted themselves. And we played against the Lithuanian champions. We did not fulfill several tasks, but it is still the beginning of the season and everything is ahead. We have time to prepare better and I really hope that in the next games we will show our true face,” said Kristina Kvedarienė, assistant coach of the “Pieno žvaigždės” team.
The match in the capital was much more intense, where HC “Vilnius” hosted the “Varsa-Stronglasas” team. The hosts led for most of the match, but the Alytus team did not allow the opponents to pull away by more than 4 goals.
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Everything turned upside down with 6 minutes left in the match when “Varsa-Stronglasas” took the lead for the first time in the game. Led by new coach Tadas Stankevičius, the Alytus team won the decisive stretch 6:1 and snatched a 31:28 victory.
The winners were led by Manvydas Lazauskas, who scored 12 goals and became the top scorer of the round. Simonas Babarskas and Nedas Buronko added 6 goals each to the victory, Oleksijus Kušnirukas scored 3 goals. “Varsa-Stronglasas” goalkeeper Oleksandras Moisejevas saved 16 shots out of 42 (38%).
For the “Vilnius” team, Martynas Lapinskas and Laurynas Palevičius scored 6 goals each, Deivas Eidukonis – 5, Seifas Laouini – 4. Vilnius goalkeeper Nojus Maziukas saved 13 shots out of 43 (30%).
In the first LRL season games held on Wednesday, Vilnius “Šviesa” defeated Kaunas “Granitas-Karys” at home 28:23.
The second LRL round will start on September 16, when “Granitas-Karys” will host “Dragūnas”. On September 19, two more games will take place. “Pieno žvaigždės” will meet Varėna “Ūla” at home, and “Varsa-Stronglasas” will challenge “Dragūnas” handball players away.
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