The Lithuanian men’s football team kicked off their World Cup qualifiers in front of a packed National Stadium in Warsaw, with 55,738 spectators in attendance. Edgaras Jankauskas’ squad, after putting up a commendable fight, fell to a single goal from Robert Lewandowski late in the second half losing 0-1.
With approximately 800 Lithuanian fans in Poland to support their team during the opening match, Jankauskas fielded his best possible starting eleven. Perhaps the only surprise in the lineup was starting FC Hegelmann’s Domantas Antanavičius, while Giedrius Matulevičius began the match on the bench.
In the starting eleven, Antanavičius was the only player from the A Lyga; the rest came from various leagues such as Romania, Kazakhstan, Belgium, Poland, Italy, and the Czech Republic. Additionally, four players compete in Slovenia, with Armandas Kučys from Celje being one of the standout performers in this season’s UEFA Conference League.
In the first third of the match, Lithuania even led in ball possession, playing assertively and creating chances for Armandas Kučys, who was stationed at the front of the attack. The two youngest talents on the Lithuanian national team, including Gvidas Gvineitis from Torino FC, were particularly noticeable.
As the match progressed, Poland’s advantage became increasingly evident. Goalkeeper Gertmonas made eight saves in total while Poland attempted 24 shots.
Despite the pressure, Lithuania had a significant chance to score in the 71st minute. In a beautiful sequence of several consecutive passes, Justas Lasickas sent the ball into the penalty area. Gvidas Gineitis let it pass for Giedrius Matulevičius, who was right in front of the goal. However, Matulevičius’ shot from just a few meters was saved by goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski.
In the end, Poland’s pressure paid off. Barcelona star Robert Lewandowski, who had been closely marked throughout most of the game, found space and took a shot that flew into the top corner of the net.
Lithuania was just ten minutes away from a potential upset, but the referee’s final whistle confirmed a 0-1 defeat to Poland in their first World Cup qualifying match in Group G.
On Monday, Lithuania will host Finland, who won their opening game against Malta 1-0.
Poland vs Lithuania – 1:0 (0:0
Goals: Lewandowski 81′
Yellow Card: Utkus 55′
LIT: Gertmonas – Sirvys (Milašius 74′), Kazukolovas, Utkus, Tutyškinas – Antanavičius (Vaireka 84′), Lasickas – Golubickas (Matulevičius 61′), Gineitis, Dolžnikov (Cernych 61′) – Kučys (Paulauskas 84′)
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