In the opening match of Matchday 8 of the TOPsport A Lyga, FK Kauno Žalgiris secured a 2:0 victory against FK Paņevežys despite the rainy conditions. Meanwhile, FK Sūduva and FA Šiauliai played to a 1:1 draw, each team earning a point.
Earlier this week, FK Paņevežys ended their three-game winless streak by defeating Dainava Alytus 3:1. Under the management of Roland Vrabec, they accumulated seven points from their first seven league games (2 wins, 1 draw, 4 losses). In contrast, Kauno Žalgiris, who had recently beaten the league leaders FC Hegelmann, extended their unbeaten streak to five games.
Kauno Žalgiris effectively utilized through balls between defenders to create scoring opportunities. One such opportunity resulted in a red card for Paņevežys; Ukrainian defender Karvatskyi received the card in the 24th minute for bringing down a Žalgiris forward who was about to go one-on-one with the goalkeeper. The referee did not hesitate to issue a straight red.
As the goalless first half came to a close, action picked up at the start of the second half. A Kauno Žalgiris player fouled Paņevežys’ Salomon Kouadio inside the penalty box, resulting in a penalty kick. However, Serbian striker Pavle Radunovic’s attempt was saved by goalkeeper Mikelionis, keeping the score at 0:0.
Just two minutes after the penalty save, Kauno Žalgiris player Vilius Armanavičius took a shot from just outside the penalty box. The shot deflected off a Paņevežys defender and trickled into the net, fooling experienced goalkeeper Černiauskas—bringing the score to 1:0.
In the dying moments of the match, Romualdas Jansonas scored a second goal for Kauno Žalgiris, securing the win and extending their unbeaten streak to six games. Consequently, Paņevežys suffered their fifth loss of the season.
With this victory, Kauno Žalgiris moved to the top of the league table, tied on points with FC Hegelmann and Džiugas Telšiai at 15 points each.
FK Paņevežys vs FK Kauno Žalgiris – 0:2 (0:0)
Goals: Armanavičius 49′, Jansonas 90+4′
Yellow Card: Radunovic 14′, Januševskis 82′ | Pavlovic 86′, Burdzilauskas 89′, Sirgedas 90+1′ Red Card: Karvatskyi 24′
PAN: Černiauskas – Rasimavičius (Asamoah 76′), Dante, Januševskis, Karvatskyi – Steponavičius (Elivelton 76′), Vaičekauskas (Krasniqi 61′), Simon (Asante 61′), Veliulis – Kouadio (Balšys 90+1′) – Radunovic
KAU: Mikelionis – Bah-Traore (T. Burdzilauskas 81′), Tolordava, Hernandez, Edokpolor – Benchaib, Sirgedas, Armanavičius (Pavlovic 69′), Ourega (E.Burdzilauskas 77′) – Georgijevic (Jansonas 69′), Paulauskas (Černych 46′)
In another A Lyga match on the same day, FK Sūduva played to a 1:1 draw at home against FA Šiauliai. Nigerian defender Henry Uzochukwu opened the scoring in the 19th minute with his first goal of the season, giving Sūduva an early lead. However, mid-way through the second half, Vytas Gašpuitis scored for Šiauliai, leveling the match and marking his first goal of the season.
FA Šiauliai’s unbeaten streak now stands at four games, while Sūduva, after winning four of their first five matches, is currently experiencing a three-game winless stretch. Sūduva has 14 points, while FA Šiauliai has 12 points, placing both teams closely on the league table.
FK Sūduva vs FA Šiauliai – 1:1 (1:0)
Goals: Uzochukwu 19′ | Gašpuitis 69′
Yellow Card: Zebrauskas 87′
SŪD: Plūkas – Uzochukwu, Beneta, Zivanovic, Baltrūnas – Pyrogov (Tangiri 76′), Lawson, Sakurai (Lucky 70′), Stankevičius (Lukšys 88′) – Petkevičius (Bickauskas 76′), Sankho (Haidara 70′)
ŠIA: Baliutavičius – Mandic, Dapkus, Gašpuitis, Sadzoute – Šimkus (Zebrauskas 58′), Silva – Petravičius (Komissarov 58′), Romanovskij, Micevičius (Jarašius 88′) – Djokič
| # | 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 |