In the Lithuanian A Lyga Matchday 8, FC Džiugas Telšiai achieved their fifth win of the season by defeating FK Riteriai away from home with a score of 1:0, moving them into the Top 3 of the league.
Both teams entered the match with relatively good starts to the season. FK Riteriai had a record of 2 wins, 3 draws, and 2 losses, accumulating nine points after seven games. Meanwhile, Džiugas Telšiai was on a two-game winning streak, eager to secure their third consecutive victory.
Džiugas Telšiai welcomed back one of their key players, Nojus Stankevičius, who had missed the previous match due to suspension. In contrast, the manager of Džiugas opted to rotate his squad significantly, including a fresh forward line with Aram Baghdasaryan and Hirotaka Yamata returning to the starting lineup, and Ukrainian defender Oleksandr Chernozub making his first start of the season.
Both teams displayed strong defensive skills, limiting each other’s chances throughout the first half and much of the second half. However, a critical defensive error ultimately cost Riteriai the game. Substitute Vilius Piliukaitis delivered a great pass between the defenders, finding another substitute, Simonas Urbys, who was left alone between the goalkeeper and the goal. Urbys calmly placed the ball in the bottom right corner, scoring his second goal of the season and giving Džiugas the lead.
Riteriai was once again challenged to respond to the situation, but this time it was different from previous matches where they needed to score. They struggled to find a solution against goalkeeper Marius Paukšte, who achieved his third consecutive clean sheet, playing a crucial role in Džiugas’s fifth win of the season.
Following this victory, Džiugas Telšiai, now on a three-game winning streak, is tied for first place with FC Hegelmann and FK Kauno Žalgiris, each with 15 points. Meanwhile, Riteriai suffered their fourth defeat of the season but remain in 7th place in the league table.
FK Riteriai vs FC Džiugas Telšiai – 0:1 (0:0)
Goals: Urbys 74′
Yellow Card: Stanulevičius 36′
RIT: Innocent – Stankevičius, Rutkovskis (Galita 83′), Wawszczyk – Stanulevičius, Šveistrys (Rimpa 46′), Mulahalilovic (Civilka 83′), Sajcic (Fernandez 67′) – Stewart (Usavičius 83′), Mikulenas, Kaulinis
DŽI: Paukšte – Chernozub (Martin 61′), Suško, Pushkarov, Cisse, Kulbachuk – Ankudinovas (Piliukaitis 61′), Trajkovski, Vinckus (Urbys 61′) – Baghdasaryan (Kayramani 82′), Yamada (Kurtsev 61′)
| # | Club | GP | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Kauno Žalgiris | 11 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 21 |
| 2 | Hegelmann FC | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 21 |
| 3 | FK Sūduva | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 18 |
| 4 | FC Džiugas Telšiai | 11 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 18 |
| 5 | FK Žalgiris | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 15 |
| 6 | FA Šiauliai | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 15 |
| 7 | FK Banga Gargždai | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 14 |
| 8 | FK Panevėžys | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | -3 | 11 |
| 9 | FK Riteriai | 11 | 2 | 4 | 5 | -3 | 10 |
| 10 | DFK Dainava Alytus | 10 | 0 | 2 | 8 | -12 | 2 |