On Saturday, Armandas Kučys played his first match since November, scoring a goal as his team NK Celje, also with Artemijus Tutyškinas in the starting lineup, suffered a 1-2 defeat against Pijus Širvys and NK Maribor in the Slovenian top-flight.
The 21-year-old forward, Kučys, is in his first season with Celje. Before suffering an injury during a UEFA Europa Conference League match against Real Betis, which sidelined him for three months, he had already scored six goals in 12 league appearances.
Kučys returned to the squad and was initially named on the bench. Despite his absence from the starting lineup, Lithuanian representation was strong in this match, with both teams featuring Lithuanian defenders—Artemijus Tutyškinas for Celje and Pijus Širvys for Maribor.
Kučys re-entered the game earlier than expected, coming on in the 21st minute to replace former Dziugas Telsiai player Nino Noordanus, who could not continue. Two minutes later, Maribor opened the scoring; Pijus Sirvys provided a cross that set up Ghanaian forward Benjamin Tetteh, who scored his fourth goal of the season. This was also Širvys’ third assist of the Slovenian PrvaLiga season.
In the second half, Maribor doubled their lead when Turkish midfielder Bartug Elmaz, on loan from Fenerbahce, scored in the 52nd minute.
Celje narrowed the deficit in the 65th minute, with Kucys scoring his first goal back. He showcased his presence in the penalty area, finding the target after some fortuitous play. In the 80th minute, Kucys almost became the hero, but he missed a chance to equalize.
While Kučys’ return was the story of the match for Lithuanian fans, his teammate Artemijus Tutyškinas also made an impression, completing his first full game for Celje after recently transferring from Polish side LKS Lodz. Pijus Širvys, on the other hand, also played the entire match for Maribor.
With this win, Maribor secured second place in the Slovenian top flight, while Celje remained fifth with 31 points, five points behind the third and fourth-place teams, Koper and Bravo.
Kučys and Tutyškinas will next play for Celje on Thursday in the UEFA Europa Conference League play-off first leg at home against APOEL. Maribor and Širvys will face Bravo in league action the following Saturday.