In the TOPsport A Lyga Matchday 6 encounter, the champions FK Žalgiris continued to struggle at the start of the season, suffering a 0:2 defeat against FA Šiauliai.
Under manager Cheburin, Žalgiris began the season unbeaten but had only secured two wins in their first five games. Their last match ended in a 0:0 draw against the Kaunos side in the Žalgiris derby, while Šiauliai in their last match managed to break a three-game winless streak with a victory over FK Banga Gargždai.
Šiauliai’s manager, Dainis Kazakevičs, opted to field the same starting lineup as in the previous game, while Cheburin made one change, giving Gustas Jarusevičius his second start of the season. Last season, FK Žalgiris swept the series against FA Šiauliai, winning all four league matches.
However, this match told a different story. Šiauliai was the first to score when Žalgiris player Yury Kendysh handled the ball in the penalty area. The referee awarded a penalty kick, which was converted by Portuguese midfielder Benny Silva, marking his second goal of the season – 1:0.
Šiauliai pursued additional goals in the first half and could have scored more, but the teams went into half-time with Šiauliai leading by one goal.
In the second half, Šiauliai’s defenders faced challenges from Žalgiris’s attacking plays, particularly with long balls that created uncomfortable situations. However, they often missed the finishing touch, and when shots were on target, goalkeeper Baliutavičius was there to make the saves. Despite the pressure from Žalgiris, Šiauliai capitalized on a counter-attack opportunity. In one instance, a Žalgiris defender fouled a Šiauliai forward in the box, leading to another penalty for the home side.
Milan Djokic, who was seeking his first goal of the season for his new club, took a poor penalty that was saved by last season’s A Lyga top goalkeeper, Tordai. Moments later, Šiauliai created another scoring opportunity, and this time they converted it. Gabijus Micevičius got behind the Žalgiris defenders and faced the goalkeeper one-on-one, successfully scoring. There was some controversy, as Žalgiris players protested that Micevičius appeared to be offside when receiving the ball. However, without VAR to review the call, the goal stood, making it 2:0.
Žalgiris attempted to fight back, aiming to score at least once, but they were unable to find the net. This match marked the first time since April 4, 2023, that Šiauliai had secured a victory over FK Žalgiris.
Following this win, Šiauliai moved ahead of Žalgiris in the league table with ten points after six games, while Žalgiris, suffering their first defeat of the season, remained in fourth place with nine points, just behind Šiauliai.
FA Šiauliai vs FK Žalgiris – 2:0 (1:0)
Goals: Silva 14′ (Penalty kick), Micevičius 77′
Yellow Card: Petravičius 90+2′
ŠIA: Baliutavičius – Mandic, Dapkus, Gaspuitis, Jarašius – Šimkus, Silva (Zebrauskas 90′) – Jankauskas (Petravičius 90′), Romanovskij (Komissarov 81′), Dovydaitis (Micevičius 66′) – Djokic
ŽAL: Tordai – Moutachy, Zahary, Pavilonis, Tavares – Kendysh – Burba (Hadji 46′), Jarusevičius (Bicka 66′), Verbickas, Chol (Mihajlovic 46′) – Henrique
| # | Club | GP | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Hegelmann FC | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | -1 | 18 |
| 2 | FK Sūduva | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 17 |
| 3 | Kauno Žalgiris | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 15 |
| 4 | FA Šiauliai | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 15 |
| 5 | FC Džiugas Telšiai | 9 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 15 |
| 6 | FK Žalgiris | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 12 |
| 7 | FK Banga Gargždai | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | -1 | 11 |
| 8 | FK Riteriai | 9 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 10 |
| 9 | FK Panevėžys | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | -3 | 10 |
| 10 | DFK Dainava Alytus | 9 | 0 | 2 | 7 | -10 | 2 |