Officially, 6480 fans gathered on Tuesday evening at the “Žalgiris” stadium, which has a capacity of 5067 spectators. Vilnius had never seen such a packed local championship evening before. And at least this time, all those who came got much more than just a chance to check whether Lithuanian football is still alive.
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Alive. And as the season approaches its end, the pulse is such that it becomes hard to sit calmly even for those who have their own seats.
Vilnius “Žalgiris” defeated the defending champion “Kauno Žalgiris” 3:2 in a five-goal match and opened the doors much more boldly in the fight for gold.
Andrius Skerla’s team rose to third place and is five points behind the leading Marijampolė “Sūduva”. The Kaunas team in second place is one point behind the leaders and four points ahead of the Vilnius team.
All three teams have five matches left. They will all meet each other once more.
No script is needed for the climax of the Lithuanian championship.
And if anyone thought until this evening that the capital’s club only had to wait for the next season, Vilnius responded loudly enough.
Edgaras Jankauskas, the coach of the Lithuanian national team who commented on the match, had work to do not only at the microphone.
None of the Vilnius “Žalgiris” footballers appeared on his list announced for the upcoming Nations League matches. A. Skerla started five Lithuanians, and for two of them, five minutes were enough to present their arguments.
Paulius Golubickas and Matas Vareika launched an attack after which the ball ended up in the Kaunas goal. While the national team coach was commenting on the match, they quite expressively commented on his choice.
However, the home team’s lead did not last even five minutes.
Rokas Lekiatas sent a fantastic diagonal pass almost across the entire field. One that makes some want to applaud, and others urgently clarify who was supposed to mark whom. Leonas Krekovičius outpaced Klaudijus Upstas in the penalty area, controlled the ball perfectly with the first touch, and sent it into the goal.
1:1. The Croatian scored for the third consecutive match, but just extending the streak was not enough for him that evening.
In the 20th minute, Vincentas Šarkauskas saved Motiejus Burba’s shot, but Leonas Krekovičius was the first to reach the rebound again. Klaudijus Upstas was left behind once more.
The scoreboard showed 1:2.
The visitors were already leading, and the early joy of the capital was exchanged for a much more unpleasant question: could a full stadium become just a beautiful decoration for an evening after which the title would have to be discussed even more quietly?
M. Vareika did not agree with such a scenario.
At first, the ball he struck shook the post. Just before the break, the stands shook.
After a corner kick, P. Golubickas passed the ball to M. Vareika, who sent it low and precisely into the corner of the goal. Tomas Švedkauskas was helpless – 2:2.
The second argument of the same pair. If the national team coach could still overlook the first, the second was repeated with emphasis.
Celebrating, M. Vareika clapped his hands and then raised his hand towards the “Žalgiris” officials standing in the VIP stand. The attacking midfielder’s return required no further explanation. M. Vareika had not played in the top league since August 23, when he elbowed an opponent in the match against Telšiai “Džiugas” and earned a three-match suspension.
“Big matches – for big players,” said M. Vareika, recognized as the best player of the match, quite arrogantly but in his characteristic style after the game.
“It’s sad that we lost him because Matas had already gained form and, I think, would have really helped us a lot. The incident that happened was a scandalous event. Unfortunately, the player did not even want to injure the opponent; it just happened. But he is an important player. Vareika gives us a bit of a different color in the game. It’s good to have a player who can bring a bit of a different style to our own game,” admitted “Žalgiris” strategist A. Skerla after the match.
During the break, the voice of the legendary “Antis” metro Algirdas Kaušpėdas was heard in the stadium: “From the towers of Vilnius and Kaunas, I feel like joking.”
Anthony Kalikas joked. Only so much that he would gladly take back both the attempt and its sound.
In the 52nd minute, one of the brightest players of the championship tried to head the ball back to the defenders, but it went to Stanislavas Bilenkis. The Vilnius forward did not hesitate to accept the gift – 3:2.
In an evening full of excellent passes and accurate shots, the result was decided by a mistake. Football likes such pranks: it shows mastery for a long time, but leaves the last word to one unsuccessful moment.
The Kaunas team failed to fix it.
Vilnius “Žalgiris” defeated this opponent for the second time in a row, and Željko Sopić had to experience a feeling previously unknown in Lithuania.
Before the trip to the capital, the Croatian-led team had won seven victories and drawn three times against Lithuanian clubs. The eleventh meeting no longer fit into the neat record of undefeated matches.
“Congratulations to the Vilnius team on the victory and three points. It’s hard to achieve anything when you concede such goals to the opponents as we did… The first goal, we made a mistake. The second… we lost the ball again in our half. The third – I have no comments at all. But that’s football, that’s why people go to the stadium. We lost the battle, but not the war,” said Ž. Sopić after the match.
This evening gave A. Skerla much more than three points. His team was behind, recovered, and won a match in which another failure would have significantly dampened talks about gold.
Now it was only necessary to calm emotions. In the tournament table, the Vilnius team remains third, but five points to the top and the remaining direct confrontations allow looking upwards much more boldly.
“There was a lot of intrigue, many tough moments for us as well. I would also like to thank the team – the players who did not get lost in those difficult moments, showed character, and, I would say, fought hard for this victory. Well, now we can take a day to breathe. No one has won anything here yet, and no one has lost anything yet,” said A. Skerla after the match.
The coach was especially pleased with his men’s fighting spirit.
“We were very motivated, and that’s normal – two ‘Žalgiris’ teams playing against each other. But they also did not come here to play easily. They played their football, and there were moments when it was not easy for us either.
But if we talk about our team, yes – we are now in a position where we could have given up and stopped playing for first place. The situation is difficult and is not under our control yet.
But, as I say, we live from match to match. Today my players showed a little more than they can. I said in the locker room: whenever you show a little more – more desire, more effort, heart – the result is different,” said the strategist.
Asked how he sees those five points to the leader with five matches left, A. Skerla dismissed Tuesday’s euphoria.
“Five points is a lot – big pressure because you can’t make mistakes. But we got here ourselves. There’s no retreat,” reasoned the coach.
When asked if he was surprised that for the second time in a row E. Jankauskas did not include any of his protégés in the national team squad, A. Skerla suggested first looking in the mirror.
“I don’t think this added extra motivation for Paulius and Matas today because the list was already announced. Still, the responsibility must be taken by themselves. Obviously, they do not show enough to be on the coach’s radar. That’s a stone in my garden too,” admitted A. Skerla. “There was a good period when Deividas Šešplaukis played really well, but this year it is not easy for him because he is moved from left to right, and besides, he is not a true full-back. He made mistakes, but he is one of those who can plug the holes.”
After the final whistle, “The Winner Takes It All” played over the stadium, green and white fireworks rose into the sky, and the packed stands enjoyed an evening they would want to remember longer than until the next match.
The song’s promise was still a bit premature this time. The winner took three points. The gold will be shared later.
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But Vilnius made sure that the sharing would not happen without it.
