Jankauskas, who drew the winning ticket in the penalty lottery: “I didn’t lie…”

Lithuanian football has a rare opportunity to rejoice.

A nervous 1:1 draw and the penalty shootout that followed immediately after regular time ended successfully for the hosts – 5:4.

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“There was certainly tension, and losing the Baltic Cup again with the same scenario would have been particularly painful. In the first half, we could have made our lives much easier, but we didn’t convert the chances we created. Of course, let’s not forget that the Latvians also had good chances and perfectly exploited our tactical error. It was an interesting match for the fans, maximum tension, a penalty shootout, and we are very happy that it is us who are in the final,” E. Jankauskas rejoiced after the match.

Asked about his winged phrase before the match and the statement about “constantly practicing penalties” in training, the strategist smiled.

“At least I didn’t lie,” the strategist laughed. “But taking penalties in training and in a match, when you understand the value of the shot, are two different things. It’s a completely different internal state, and I’m very happy that the players handled the excitement perfectly. Five out of six – not bad. Of course, Tomas Švedkauskas also played wonderfully at the decisive moment. I think we deservedly reached the final. We need to be happy. It’s great that we finally gave the public an evening of happiness,” E. Jankauskas shared his thoughts.

The victory against the braliukai opened the doors to the tournament final, and also to an opportunity that Lithuanian football has been waiting for sixteen years.

Now the massive trophy is no longer just a distant memory photo from the past.

It’s one step away. After a long silence, disappointments, and unfulfilled hopes, the Lithuanian national team is once again where every episode can become part of history.

E. Jankauskas’s team hasn’t won anything yet, but in Kaunas, they did what was most needed from them – they earned the right to fight in the decisive match.

Now the final remains.

“We won, but our goal is the same. Now the most important thing is to win the final and bring the Baltic Cup back to Lithuania,” E. Jankauskas said, already living in the mood of the upcoming match.

Baltic Cup Semifinal: Lithuania – Latvia

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Although there was no shortage of speculation in the public sphere about the coach’s future before the match, in a game that could determine his career, E. Jankauskas chose a bold starting eleven, which also included two debutants playing in the local championship, Domantas Šluta and Edvinas Kloniūnas.

“Both of them fully justified expectations and played confidently. To debut in such an important match under such conditions… Very good,” the strategist rejoiced.

From the very first minutes, the Lithuanians began to show their ambitions and firmly took control of the ball, finally getting their chance in the 28th minute when the Latvians started their attack very unsuccessfully.

Edgaras Utkus won an aerial duel in the middle of the field and at the same time delivered an excellent pass to Armandas Kučys.

And here we saw once again what this forward brought back to the Lithuanian national team. The Panevėžys native skillfully flicked the ball forward with the outside of his foot and sent it into the net with his second touch.

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He skillfully flicked the ball forward with the outside of his foot and sent it into the goal with his second touch.

Soon Armandas had a great opportunity to score his seventh goal for the national team, but his powerful shot from a few meters was saved by the Latvian goalkeeper Frenks Orols.

At that moment, E. Jankauskas had already taken off his jacket in the technical area, and soon he almost broke into a cold sweat. After Gvidas Gineitis’s unsuccessfully taken corner kick, the Latvians launched a lightning-fast attack across the entire field, and Eduards Emsis rattled the post.

The Latvians seized their chance in the 60th minute when a prolonged attack by the visitors ended with Andrejs Cigaņiks’s pass into the penalty area and an impressive header from Maksims Toņiševs – 1:1.

Finally, all the drama moved to a penalty shootout, where the Lithuanians looked very confident. The Latvian goalkeeper saved Lukas Michelbrink’s shot, but Edgaras Utkus, Gvidas Gineitis, Armandas Kučys, Arvydas Novikovas, and Motiejus Burba shot with extreme composure, and at the last moment, goalkeeper Tomas Švedkauskas also shone, saving Kristians Penkevics’s kick.

“There’s also a luck factor in a penalty shootout. What’s important here is the ability to control emotions, stop your thoughts, calm stress. Those who were there know that a part of the lottery still exists. Every time everything is different – you don’t know what strategy the goalkeeper will choose,” commented E. Jankauskas.

Asked if the six footballers who took the penalties had already been chosen before the match, E. Jankauskas affirmed that he knew some players coming off the bench would likely have to participate in the penalty shootout.

And so it happened – L. Michelbrinkas, A. Novikovas, and M. Burba took the initiative, while the team captain Justas Lasickas, who had played a solid match, somewhat unexpectedly missed out on the penalty drama this time.

Asked why this happened, E. Jankauskas smiled mysteriously.

“If you’ll allow me, I won’t answer that question,” the coach stated.

Playing at home, the Lithuanians continue to be an unsolved mystery for their northern neighbors.

In nine home matches played since the restoration of independence, the Lithuanians have never lost to Latvia.

The Lithuanians’ opponent in Tuesday’s final will be revealed late Saturday evening when Estonia and the Faroe Islands play the second semifinal in Tallinn.

If the Estonians win, E. Jankauskas’s proteges will have to play the decisive match in Tallinn. If the Faroe Islands win, the final will take place at the Darius and Girėnas Stadium.

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Baltic Cup Winners

Country				Titles
Latvia	14	14	2	1928, 1932, 1933, 1936, 1937, 1993, 1995, 2001, 2003, 2008, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018
Lithuania	10	9	9	1930, 1935, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2005, 2010
Estonia	5	6	17	1929, 1931, 1938, 2021, 2024
Iceland	1	0	0	2022
Finland	0	1	1