On the second day of the Toplyga opening round, FK Banga Gargždai repeated last season’s achievement, defeating FC Hegelmann 2-0 in the league opener for the second year in a row. Goals from Nigerian midfielder Aaron Olugbogi and striker Ignas Venckus secured the victory.
Hegelmann, runners-up in each of the past two seasons, began a new era without long-time head coach Andrius Skerla, who has taken over the Lithuanian U-21 national team. According to the broadcast graphic, Spanish specialist Mikel Aramburu Erneta was listed as head coach, meanwhile assistant Tadas Vilkevičius was actively directing from the sidelines.
The hosts had four new faces to their starting lineup compared to last season, including handing the captain’s armband to one of the new additions, Vilius Armanavičius. The midfielder returned to Hegelmann after a three-year absence, having won the Lithuanian championship last season with FK Kauno Žalgiris.
On the other side, Banga head coach David Afonso introduced three new faces. In goal, Ukrainian Volodymyr Krynskyi replaced the departed Mantas Bertašius after joining from Dainava Alytus. Aleksandras Levšinas strengthened the defensive line, while Japanese attacking player Misaki Sato added new options in attack.
The first half followed a similar pattern to the earlier match of the day, with few clear-cut opportunities. Hegelmann controlled possession but struggled to create meaningful chances. The most dangerous moment before the break came for Banga, when Aaron Olugbogi drove into the penalty area from the left and forced Marius Paukšte into a difficult save.
The second half continued in much the same way, with Hegelmann enjoying more of the ball but lacking composure in the final third. The breakthrough came in the 57th minute. Banga forward Ignas Venckus went down inside the penalty area, and although play initially continued, the referee was called to review the incident via VAR. After consulting the monitor, a penalty was awarded. Olugbogi converted confidently, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way to make it 1-0.
Hegelmann responded with substitutions in an attempt to regain control, while Banga looked to exploit space on the counterattack. That approach paid off. Olugbogi again initiated the move, finding Misaki Sato in a promising position. Although Sato’s attempt was blocked by a defender, the ball fell to Ignas Venckus, who reacted quickly to double Banga’s lead and open his scoring account for the new season.
The second goal visibly affected Hegelmann, who struggled to recover momentum. Banga nearly added a third soon after, but Paukšte prevented further damage.
Despite needing a response, it was Banga who continued to create the better opportunities and manage the tempo of the game, even maintaining possession in the opposition half during the closing stages. At the final whistle, Banga secured a deserved 2-0 victory, mirroring last season’s opening-round result against the same opponent.
Next Saturday, Banga will travel to face defending champions FK Kauno Žalgiris, while Hegelmann will look to claim their first points of the season at home against another surprise Round 1 winner, Džiugas Telšiai, who defeated FK Žalgiris Vilnius in their opener.
FC Hegelmann vs FK Banga Gargždai – 0-2 (0-0)
Goals: Olugbogi (60’ Penalty kick), Venckus 74’
HEG: Paukšte – Slendzoka, Duke, Sadauskas – Remeikis, Radonja (Puerta 83′) – Armanavičius, Shchedryi (Kazlauskas 66’), Kaušinis (Radinovic 66’), Freire (Pašylis 73′) – Njoya (Tibell 83′)
BAN: Krynskyi – Žebrauskas, Malžinskas, Simao, Levšinas – Praleika – Olugbogi (Asare 90+3’), Magdušauskas (Cande 46’), Filipavičius (Henning 90+3’), Sato (Norvilas 87’) – Venckus (Andreev 78′)
# Team P W D L
GF GA GD Pts
1
FK Banga1
1
0
0
2
0
2
3
2
Džiugas Telšiai1
1
0
0
3
2
1
3
3
FA Šiauliai1
0
1
0
2
2
0
1
4
Transinvest1
0
1
0
2
2
0
1
5
FK Sūduva1
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
6
FK Panevėžys1
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
7
FK Riteriai0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
8
Kauno Žalgiris0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
9
FK Žalgiris1
0
0
1
2
3
-1
0
10
FC Hegelmann1
0
0
1
0
2
-2
0
