On a rainy evening in the Lithuanian capital, it was a night to forget for Andrius Skerla’s side. Banga Gargždai secured a convincing 3-2 victory over FK Žalgiris Vilnius, scoring twice in the second half to seal all three points.
The first real chance of the game came in the 8th minute, when Banga midfielder Vaidas Magdušauskas made a run towards goal and, with little pressure from the opposition, attempted a shot from outside the box. His effort, however, struck the crossbar.
Just a few minutes later, Magdušauskas had an even better opportunity to open the scoring after receiving a precise pass from Rokas Filipavičius. The midfielder found himself one-on-one with FK Žalgiris goalkeeper Vincentas Šarkauskas, but the latter came out on top in the duel.
The momentum then shifted, with FK Žalgiris creating several dangerous opportunities between the 10th and 20th minutes. Offensive players Stanislav Bilenkyi and Bryan Teixeira both tested the Banga defence, giving the home supporters renewed hope.
In the 24th minute, Magdušauskas came agonisingly close to finally finding the net. A poor mistake by FK Žalgiris left-back Dominik Franke presented the Banga midfielder with another golden opportunity, leaving him just a few metres from Šarkauskas. However, luck was once again not on his side, as his effort struck the crossbar, bounced off the artificial turf and stayed out.
FK Žalgiris eventually broke the deadlock in the 33rd minute with a beautifully constructed attack. After receiving a precise one-touch pass from Teixeira inside the box, Bilenkyi combined with Yuri Kendysh, who finished the move with a composed strike to put his side ahead.
However, the visitors’ lead lasted just two minutes. Magdušauskas was finally rewarded for his efforts when his pass found Ignas Venckus, who got past Šarkauskas and calmly finished into an empty net to bring Banga level.
The 54th minute proved decisive for the Gargždai side. Following a well-timed pass from Venckus, Deividas Malžinskas made no mistake, firing a first-time effort with his left foot into the net to put Banga ahead.
Just 12 minutes later, Banga struck again. After a superb delivery from Vaidas Magdušauskas, Rokas Filipavičius took full advantage of the opportunity inside the box, connecting with the ball first time to send a volley beyond the goalkeeper and extend the visitors’ lead to 3-1.
Despite Matas Vareika’s stoppage-time goal, it was not enough to rescue at least a point for the Vilnius side.
The victory further underlines Banga’s dominance over FK Žalgiris this season. David Afonso’s side had previously secured a convincing 3-0 victory before the two teams played out a 1-1 draw in their other meeting.
Following this result, FK Žalgiris remain sixth in the TOPLYGA standings with 34 points, while Banga move up to fourth with 36 points.
FK Žalgiris Vilnius vs Banga Gargždai – 2:3 (1:1)
Goals: Y.Kendysh (ŽAL) 33′ | I.Venckus (BAN) 35′ | D.Malžinskas (BAN) 54′ | R.Filipavičius (BAN) 66′ | M.Vareika (ŽAL) 90+1′
