In the last match of A Lyga Matchday 6, FC Hegelmann made a remarkable comeback after trailing by two goals, ultimately defeating DFK Dainava Alytus 3-2. Dainava suffered its fourth loss in a row, while FC Hegelmann got its fifth win in a row.
Last season, the two teams split their encounters in the league, with each winning two matches against the other. This season, however, the circumstances for both teams are quite different. Hegelmann has had a great start to the season, sitting at the top of the league table with four wins out of five games, while Dainava Alytus is at the bottom of the standings with just one point after five matches.
Dainava took an early lead in the first half when 20-year-old Bosnian striker Davor Rakic scored his first goal of the season following a corner kick. Just before halftime, Denis Ževžikovas was fouled in the penalty area, giving Dainava the opportunity to double their lead. Ukrainian forward Artem Baftalovskyi stepped up to take the penalty and successfully converted it, increasing Dainava’s lead to two goals.
However, their joy was short-lived as Hegelmann came out for the second half with renewed determination. In the 51st minute, Abdel Njoya, who had been the hero in the previous game against Džiugas Telšiai, scored again. The Cameroonian capitalized on a goalkeeper’s mistake, cutting the deficit in half. Just ten minutes later, Hegelmann equalized when Leo Ribeiro took a shot from outside the box that was blocked. The rebound fell directly to Lazar Kojic, who was lurking at the edge of the box. Kojic took a first-time shot and beat the goalkeeper, making it 2-2 and scoring his first goal of the season.
Dainava Alytus aimed to hold on to the point, but Hegelmann displayed remarkable character, and in the 85th minute, Rasheed Yusuf, using the outside of his boot, scored to bring the match to a final score of 3-2. This victory marked Hegelmann’s fifth win in a row and propelled them to the top of the Lithuanian A Lyga table after six matches, while Dainava remains at the bottom with just one point.
FC Hegelmann vs DFK Dainava Alytus – 3:2 (0:2)
Goals: Njoya 51′ Kojic 65′, Yusuf 85′ | Rakic 3′, Baftalovskyi 40′ (Penalty kick)
Yellow Card: Kojic 26′, Armalas 28′, Shchedryi 56′, Gabriel 81′ | Oostenbrink 37′
HEG: Bražinskas – Armalas, Slendzoka (Kaušinis 77′), Djoric, Duke – Shchedryi, Kojic, Antanavičius (Wesley 62′), Kazlauskas (Popescu 62′), Ribeiro (Azouazi 86′) – Njoya (Yusuf 77′)
DAI: Krynskyi – Stočkunas, Maksymenko, Zabita, Oostenbrink, Litviakov – Baftalovskyi (Faye 74′), Koshkosh, Ževzikovas (Kodz 74′) – Hiruma, Rakic (Chinonso 82′)
| # | 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 | FC Džiugas Telšiai | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 15 |
| 4 | FK Sūduva | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | -1 | 14 |
| 5 | FA Šiauliai | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 12 |
| 6 | FK Žalgiris | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 12 |
| 7 | FK Riteriai | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 9 |
| 8 | FK Banga Gargždai | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 8 |
| 9 | FK Panevėžys | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | -4 | 7 |
| 10 | DFK Dainava Alytus | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | -10 | 1 |