The Lithuanian A Lyga season kicked off today in Marijampolė, with title contenders FK Kauno Žalgiris securing a 3-1 victory over DFK Dainava Alytus. Talented Romualdas Jansonas scored a goal and assisted in his debut match.
DFK Dainava Alytus, which finished last season in a historic 4th place, opened the season against FK Kauno Žalgiris, who finished just one spot above them. Both teams aim to achieve similar results this season, but FK Kauno Žalgiris has additional motivation, as they are viewed by bookmakers as the second favorites to win the league title.
In his first official match as the manager of Kauno Žalgiris, Eivinas Černiauskas started only four players from the previous season’s squad. The starting lineup featured two newcomers: 19-year-old Romualdas Jansonas, who transferred from rivals FK Žalgiris under less-than-ideal circumstances, and Valdas Paulaskas, a key player from the Lithuanian Cup-winning FK Banga Garždai team.
On the other hand, Dainava Alytus’s manager included four newcomers in the lineup, with former FK Liepāja defender Cheikh Faye as a standout, alongside the returning Ernestas Stočkunas after a one-year absence.
The game began with dominant possession for FK Kauno Žalgiris. One of Lithuania’s promising talents, Romualdas Jansonas, had a great opportunity to score the first goal of the match, but his header was beautifully saved by Ukrainian goalkeeper Krynskyi, who is in his second season with Dainava.
Kauno’s pressure paid off late in the first half, as a well-executed build-up play saw Jansonas assist veteran Fedor Černych, who calmly placed the ball in the bottom corner.
At the start of the second half, Dainava Alytus defender Maksymenko committed a sloppy foul on Jansonas in the penalty box, resulting in an easy penalty kick decision for the referee. Jansonas confidently took the penalty and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way, doubling Kauno’s lead.
Seventeen minutes later, last season’s bronze medalists scored their third goal. Former FK Paņevežys midfielder Amine Benchaib made a remarkable individual effort, carrying the ball from midfield, dribbling past a defender, and shooting from the edge of the box to beat the goalkeeper.
In stoppage time, Dainava Alytus managed to score a consolation goal. The referee was called to review the play in the box via VAR and determined that a Žalgiris player had held a Dainava player—a clear penalty. Serbian national Marko Pavloski successfully converted the penalty, even though goalkeeper Deividas Mikelionis got a hand on the ball.
The match ended with no further goals, as FK Kauno Žalgiris began the season with a 3-1 victory. Last season, Kauno Žalgiris struggled to score against Dainava, with all matches ending with one or less goals for them. This strong start against a tough Dainava Alytus team is promising for Kauno’s side as they look to compete for the title this year.
DFK Dainava Alytus – FK Kauno Žalgiris 1:3 (0:1)
Goals: Pavlovski 90+1′ (penalty kick) | Černych 39′, Jansonas 55′ (penalty kick), Benchaib 72′
Yellow Card: Paliusis 79′ | Sirgedas 90′
Dainava: Krynskyi – Faye (Mbaki 65′), Maksymenko, Pauliusis, Štockunas – Oostenbrink, Banevičius (Kodz 73′) – Zabita, Koshkosh, Baftalovskyi (Pavlovski 73′), Hiruma (Ževžikovas 72′)
Harju: Mikelionis – Bah Traore, Tolordava, Hernandez, Edokpolor – Pavlovic (Jurjonas 83′), Sirgedas – Paulauskas (Chogadze 75′), Benchaib, Černych (Armanavičius 83′) – Jansonas (Burdzilauskas 75′)
Referee: Donatas Šimenas