In the opening match of TOPsport A Lyga Matchday 2, the Vilnius derby saw FK Riteriai come back from a two-goal deficit to secure a thrilling 3-3 draw against the defending champions, FK Žalgiris.
Before the match, FK Riteriai manager Nikola Vitorovic spoke with Baltic Football News, outlining that they have a game plan for facing FK Žalgiris. Initially, it seemed that their strategy might not be effective, as FK Žalgiris scored two early goals, thanks to Serbian forward Nemanja Mihajlovic.
However, Riteriai did not give up. Later in the first half, they managed to pull one goal back. Andrius Kaulinis received a fantastic pass, breaking free from his defender for a one-on-one chance. With a smooth finish, he found the back of the net.
Just before halftime, Žalgiris reclaimed their two-goal advantage when captain Ovidijus Verbickas surprised Riteriai goalkeeper Garissone Innocent with a first-time shot from outside the box, finding the top corner.
As the second half began, Žalgiris struggled to cope with Riteriai’s pressing game. True to Vitorovic’s pre-match comments about wanting his team to show character, Riteriai demonstrated their resilience by coming back from the two-goal deficit within five minutes.
The comeback started with Andrius Kaulinis, whose persistence led to a mistake by a Žalgiris defender. Armandas Šveistrys intercepted a pass and quickly passed the ball back to Kaulinis, who took a touch and shot it into the bottom left corner. Just five minutes later, after a corner kick, Riteriai kept the ball alive, setting up Meinardas Mikulenas, who calmly equalized in front of the net.
In the remaining minutes, FK Žalgiris pushed hard for the winning goal but were unable to convert any of their chances, marking the loss of their first points of the season. This draw was significant for Riteriai and their new manager Nikola Vitorovic, especially following their tough loss to FK Sūduva the previous week.
FK Riteriai’s next match will be on Sunday at home against FK Kauno Žalgiris, while FK Žalgiris will face FK Banga Gargždai next Saturday before the first international break.2
FK Riteriai vs FK Žalgiris – 3:3 (1:3)
Goals: Kaulinis 36′ 49′, Mikulenas 54′ | Mihajlovic 13′ 16′, Verbickas 45+1′
Yellow Card: Rutkovskis 7′, Wawszcyk 45+3′, Šveistrys 68′, Stankevičius 73′ | Verbickas 62′
RIT: Innocent – Estevez, Stanulevičius, Rutkovskis, Wawszczyk – Stankevičius – Sajčic, Rimpa (Mulahalilovic 46′), Vlijter (Šveistrys 8′), Kaulinis (Civilka 90′) – Mikulenas (Usavičius 70′ (Zdanovič 90+3′))
ŽAL: Tordai – Moutachy, Zahary, Kendysh, Tavares – Verbickas – Hadji, Salcinovic (Matulevičius 46′), Jarusevičius (Fofana 46′), Mihajlovic (Matyzonok 66′) – Burba (Klimavičius 87′)
Referee: Dovydas Švegžda
| # | Club | GP | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Hegelmann FC | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 21 |
| 2 | FC Džiugas Telšiai | 10 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 18 |
| 3 | FK Sūduva | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 17 |
| 4 | Kauno Žalgiris | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 15 |
| 5 | FA Šiauliai | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 15 |
| 6 | FK Banga Gargždai | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 14 |
| 7 | FK Žalgiris | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 12 |
| 8 | FK Riteriai | 9 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 10 |
| 9 | FK Panevėžys | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | -3 | 10 |
| 10 | DFK Dainava Alytus | 10 | 0 | 2 | 8 | -12 | 2 |