Lithuanian striker Romualdas Jansonas made his first appearance in the Portuguese top flight today, coming off the bench for Arouca in a difficult 0-4 loss against FC Porto.
The 20-year-old forward earned his move to Portugal after a strong season with FK Kauno Žalgiris, where he recorded six goals and four assists in 23 league matches. On August 30, Arouca confirmed his signing on a five-year deal, making him one of the latest Lithuanian players to test himself abroad.
Facing Porto was always going to be a tough introduction. The visitors, perfect so far this season with seven wins in seven and just one goal conceded, struck early through Samu. Although Arouca limited the damage in the first half, Porto’s superiority showed after the break, scoring twice more despite being reduced to ten men.
Jansonas was introduced in the 79th minute with Arouca trailing 0-3, taking up the central striker’s role. He marked his debut with a long-range effort that went just wide. In the closing minutes, Porto added a fourth to seal the result.
Arouca now sit 10th in the Primeira Liga table with eight points from seven rounds. Jansonas’ next opportunity could come on Sunday when Arouca host Famalicão.
In the Italian Serie A, Gvidas Gineitis was once again an unused substitute as Torino suffered a 1-2 defeat against Parma. This marked the fourth consecutive match in which the 21-year-old Lithuanian midfielder remained on the bench.
Torino currently sit 15th in the league table with four points from five games. Their next fixture is an away match against Lazio on Saturday.
Meanwhile, in the Romanian Superliga, Lithuanian national team goalkeeper Edvinas Gertmonas played the full 90 minutes for Universitatea Cluj in a 2-2 draw against city rivals CFR Cluj.
The 29-year-old has now made four league appearances this season, keeping two clean sheets. Universitatea Cluj are 9th in the standings with 14 points from 11 matches.
