In the first Žalgiris derby of the season, played in front of a packed 4,644 crowd at Žalgirio namų stadionas – a Toplyga attendance record this season – Vilnius Žalgiris were left to rue missed opportunities as they fell 0-3 to reigning champions Kauno Žalgiris, who further strengthened their grip at the top of the table.
The stakes were high heading into the clash. A win for the champions would open up a nine-point gap over their Vilnius rivals, underlining their early-season dominance.
Vilnius head coach Rolandas Džiaukštas made a big call, handing Vincentas Šarkauskas his first start of the season in goal, leaving regular starter Carlos Olses on the bench. Meanwhile, Martynas Šetkus retained his place in the starting XI for the second consecutive game. On the other side, Kauno Žalgiris coach Eivinas Černiauskas brought back Colombian centre-back Aldayr Hernández into the lineup after three matches on the bench.
After a nervy opening where both sides tested each other, it was the champions who created the first real danger. Leo Ribeiro found himself in two promising shooting positions but failed to hit the target – moments that would prove to be Kauno’s only real attacking threat until the goal at the end of the half.
From there, Vilnius Žalgiris took control.
Driven forward by a passionate home crowd, the hosts piled on relentless pressure for nearly 20 minutes. Deividas Šešplaukis headed wide in the 31st minute, while Šetkus missed another big opportunity moments later. Giedrius Matulevičius, Marko Čapan, Liviu Antal, Deividas Šešplaukis again and Paulius Golubickas all came close, but none could find the breakthrough.
Kauno Žalgiris struggled to cope with the aggressive pressing and tempo, barely holding on as wave after wave of attacks came their way. Then came the turning point.
In the 44th minute, against the run of play, Vilnius were caught on the counter. Leo Ribeiro delivered a perfectly weighted pass to Fabien Ourega, who shook off his marker and finished with his first touch, stunning the home crowd and giving the visitors a crucial lead.
Vilnius tried to respond after the break, with Džiaukštas making two halftime substitutions, introducing Nemanja Mihajlović and Bryan Teixeira. But any hopes of a comeback were quickly shattered.
Just seconds into the second half, a positional error allowed Kauno to break three-on-two. Yukiyoshi Karashima squared the ball to Amine Benchaib, who calmly slotted it into the far corner to make it 2-0.
Vilnius attempted to respond, but their inefficiency in front of goal stood in stark contrast to Kauno’s clinical edge. That difference was fully exposed when Ribeiro, after missing similar chances earlier, curled a superb strike into the far corner to extend the lead to 3-0.
To make matters worse, Vilnius suffered another blow when key player Giedrius Matulevičius was forced off with a shoulder injury shortly after the third goal.
Despite their efforts to salvage something from the match, Vilnius Žalgiris could not find a way past Tomas Švedkauskas, as Kauno Žalgiris comfortably saw out the game.
With this victory, Kauno Žalgiris continue their outstanding start to the season, dropping points in just one of their first seven matches and sitting firmly at the top of the Toplyga table with 19 points.
For Vilnius Žalgiris, the story of the night was simple – missed chances in the first half proved costly, ultimately deciding the outcome of a derby they once seemed destined to control.
FK Žalgiris Vilnius vs FK Kauno Žalgiris – 0-3 (0-1)
Goals: Ourega 44′, Benchaib 46′, Ribeiro 57′
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Kauno Žalgiris |
7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 3 | 15 | 19 |
| 2 |  Džiugas Telšiai |
7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 14 |
| 3 |  Transinvest |
7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 11 |
| 4 |  FK Sūduva |
7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 10 |
| 5 |  FK Žalgiris |
7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 10 |
| 6 |  FC Hegelmann |
7 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 8 |
| 7 |  FK Panevėžys |
7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 11 | -6 | 8 |
| 8 |  FK Banga |
7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| 9 |  FA Šiauliai |
7 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 11 | -7 | 5 |
| 10 |  FK Riteriai |
7 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 20 | -17 | 1 |
