Panevėžys produced one of the biggest surprises of the 29th round of the Lithuanian Toplyga, beating Žalgiris Vilnius 2-0 in front of their home supporters.
Panevėžys started brightly, with Elivelto, returning to the starting XI after a spell out of the lineup, testing Vincentas Šarkauskas in the opening minutes. The Žalgiris goalkeeper was also called into action to deny Joel Bopesu. At the other end, Marko Capan threatened from two dangerous free-kicks, but neither resulted in the breakthrough.
The opener arrived in the 21st minute, although it came courtesy of a Žalgiris player. Following a set-piece delivery, Deividas Šešplaukis inadvertently turned the ball into his own net to put Panevėžys ahead.
Even though the hosts continued to look the more dangerous side, but they came very close to conceding an equaliser when Paulius Golubickas broke forward, but Vytautas Černiauskas produced an important save to keep his side in front.
Then, just before half-time, Panevėžys struck again. A superb counter-attack in the 44th minute saw Kwadwo Asamoah pick out Salomon Kouadio, who unleashed a powerful finish into the far corner to double the hosts’ advantage and send them into the break with a two-goal cushion.
Žalgiris head coach Andrius Skerla responded by making two changes at half-time, and the visitors emerged from the dressing room with renewed energy. The Vilnius side almost pulled one back early in the second half, only for Bopesu to clear the ball off the line with the goal seemingly at his mercy.
Panevėžys were dealt another blow in the 56th minute when Kouadio was sent off after receiving two yellow cards. The numerical advantage gave Žalgiris a clear opportunity to get back into the match, but Černiauskas had other ideas.
Shortly afterwards, Danny Lupano was brought down inside the penalty area by Strahinja Kerkez, earning Žalgiris a spot-kick. Stanislav Bilenkyi stepped up, but Černiauskas once again came to the rescue, saving another penalty and preserving Panevėžys’ two-goal lead.
The visitors continued to push, with Černiauskas denying two efforts from Petar Bosančic, while Rokas Rasimavičius also produced an excellent intervention to prevent Žalgiris from finally finding a way through.
Despite playing the final stages with ten men, Panevėžys held firm to claim a deserved 2-0 victory and complete a league double over Žalgiris at home this season.
The result lifts Panevėžys to 26 points in seventh place, while Žalgiris remain fifth with 37 points.
FK Panevežys vs FK Žalgiris Vilnius – 2-0 (2-0)
Goals: Šešplaukis 21′ (Own goal), Kouadio 44′
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  FK Sūduva |
24 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 35 | 18 | 17 | 45 |
| 2 |  Kauno Žalgiris |
23 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 41 | 16 | 25 | 39 |
| 3 |  Transinvest |
25 | 11 | 6 | 8 | 36 | 32 | 4 | 39 |
| 4 |  FK Banga |
25 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 29 | 22 | 7 | 38 |
| 5 |  FK Žalgiris |
24 | 11 | 4 | 9 | 37 | 29 | 8 | 37 |
| 6 |  Džiugas Telšiai |
25 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 34 | 31 | 3 | 37 |
| 7 |  FK Panevėžys |
25 | 7 | 5 | 13 | 23 | 41 | -18 | 26 |
| 8 |  FC Hegelmann |
25 | 4 | 11 | 10 | 27 | 42 | -15 | 23 |
| 9 |  FA Šiauliai |
26 | 3 | 7 | 16 | 24 | 55 | -31 | 16 |
