In the TOPsport A Lyga Matchday 6, FK Riteriai demonstrated their resilience as they secured their second consecutive victory in the league, defeating FK Banga Gargždai 3:1.
FK Riteriai, who faced a lot of scrutiny last week, managed to earn their first win of the season by overcoming FK Paņevežys 3:1. Meanwhile, FK Banga Gargždai, after winning their opening game, has now gone winless in four matches.
Banga’s Portuguese coach David Afonso made one change to the lineup from their previous game, reintroducing Rokas Filipavičius to the starting eleven against his former team. In contrast, Nikola Vitorovic made two changes for Riteriai, bringing back Armandas Šveistrys and handing Singaporean defender Ryhan Stewart his first start of the season with his new club.
Last season, these two teams met in the Lithuanian Cup’s 1/16 final. Riteriai squandered a 3:1 lead and ultimately lost 3:5 in extra time. That comeback was significant for Banga, as they went on to clinch their first major Lithuanian trophy and went all the way by winning the Lithuanian Cup.
Riteriai’s defense started the match on shaky ground, often allowing Banga’s players to get behind them and create one-on-one scoring opportunities. However, Banga’s attacking players failed to capitalize on Riteriai’s early mistakes.
As the first half progressed, the game became more open, and both teams created several excellent scoring chances. It wasn’t until the 39th minute that the deadlock was broken. Following a swift counter-attack, Polish defender Jakub Wawszczyk found Benjamin Mulahalilovic in the box, who converted with a shot from around 11 meters out, putting Riteriai ahead 1:0.
Just before halftime, the referee awarded a penalty kick after a Banga player clearly handled the ball. This presented the Vilnius club with a chance to double their lead. Nojus Stankevičius stepped up to take the penalty, which, although not the most convincing shot—having been saved by the goalkeeper—somehow slid under him and crossed the line, making it 2:0.
In the 79th minute, Riteriai extended their lead with another goal from Meinardas Mikulenas. Mikulenas scored his fifth goal of the season and became the top scorer in the A Lyga. Late in the match, Banga’s substitute Aivars Emsis was fouled in the penalty area, resulting in a second penalty for his team. Emsis converted the penalty himself, scoring his second goal of the season.
This time, Riteriai maintained their 3:1 lead against Banga Gargždai, marking their second consecutive win, while Banga extended their winless streak to five matches.
In their next match, Banga will host Džiugas Telšiai on Wednesday, while Riteriai will travel to Šiauliai to face FA Šiauliai on the same day.
FK Banga Gargždai vs FK Riteriai – 1:3 (0:2)
Goals: Emsis 90′ (Penalty kick) | Mulahalilovic 39′, Stankevičius 45+5′ (Penalty kick), Mikulenas 79′
Yellow Card: Ramanauskas 15′, Victory 67′ | Stankevičius 42′, Šveistrys 49′, Hakansson 65′, Gumbravičius 89′
BAN: Bertašius – Zebrauskas (Antužis 66′), Malžinskas, Simao, Figueredo – Norvilas (Victory 66′), Ramanauskas, Magdušauskas (Srebalius 46′), Olugbogi – Filipavičius, Venčkus (Emsis 66′)
RIT: Innocent – Stewart, Rutkovskis (Gumbravičius 87′), Stankevičius, Hakansson, Wawszczyk (Stanulevičius 76′) – Sajčic (Kaulinis 76′), Šveistrys (Rimpa 56′), Mulahalilovic (Civilka 87′), Fernandez – Mikulenas
| # | Club | GP | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Hegelmann FC | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 18 |
| 2 | Kauno Žalgiris | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 15 |
| 3 | FA Šiauliai | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 15 |
| 4 | FC Džiugas Telšiai | 9 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 15 |
| 5 | FK Sūduva | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | -1 | 14 |
| 6 | FK Žalgiris | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 12 |
| 7 | FK Panevėžys | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | -3 | 10 |
| 8 | FK Riteriai | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 9 |
| 9 | FK Banga Gargždai | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 8 |
| 10 | DFK Dainava Alytus | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | -10 | 1 |