Džiugas denied win by Černiauskas heroics in nail-biting draw

Vytautas Černiauskas. Image credit to FK Paņevežys

Another fixture from the 15th round of the A Lyga took place in Žemaitija, where FC Džiugas Telšiai hosted FK Panevėžys. Despite retaking momentum in the second half, the home side had to settle for a point as the match ended in a 1–1 draw.

The visitors came out strong from the first whistle. Pavle Radunović latched onto a precise through ball from Lúcas de Vega and cut dangerously into the box, but Telšiai goalkeeper Marius Paukštė denied him with a crucial save. In the 20th minute, Paukštė parried a strike from Justinas Januševskis, but Salomon Kouadio pounced on the rebound and slotted it into the net to give Panevėžys a 1–0 lead.

Telšiai looked to answer quickly, with Simonas Urbys attempting a volley, though it didn’t find the target. Early in the second half, Urbys threatened again with a powerful long-range effort, forcing Vytautas Černiauskas into action.

Urbys eventually got his reward on the hour mark — meeting a superb cross from Fraj Kayrmani, he headed home the equalizer. He came close to bagging a brace in the 69th minute, but his low shot was saved. In the 75th minute, Paukštė launched a long ball across the field to Deitonas Vinckus, but Panevėžys were spared by Černiauskas, who heroically rushed off his line to clear the danger.

Panevėžys’s keeper stayed busy — denying David Martin Anane shortly after, and watching as Kulbachuk thunderous shot rattled the woodwork moments later. As the clock ticked down, Hirotaka Yamada committed a reckless foul in the final minute of regulation time and received a straight red card for his challenge.

After this clash between table neighbors, both teams retained their standings: Džiugas sit fifth with 21 points, while Panevėžys remain one spot below in sixth place with 19.

FC Džiugas Telšiai vs FK Paņevežys – 1:1 (0:1)
Goals: Urbys 60′ | Kouadio 20′
DŽI: Paukšte, Trajkovski, Suško (Kulbachuk 46′), Pushkarov, Ankudinovas, Cisse, Silkaitis, Urbys (Baghdasaryan 81′), Kayramani (Yamada 70′), Piliukaitis (Vinckus 70′), Kurtsev (Martin 46′)
PAN: Černiauskas, Rasimavičius, Januševskis, Dante, Krasniqi, Vaicekauskas (Smith 74′), De Vega, Veliulis (Steponavičius 66′), Kouadio, Radunovic (Asante 85′), Asamoah (Elivelton 65′)

A Lyga Matchday 15 games:

13.06.2025 – FK Sūduva Marijampolė vs FK Kauno Žalgiris – 0:0
13.06.2025 – FK Žalgiris vs FA Šiauliai – 0:0
13.06.2025 – Džiugas Telšiai vs FK Panevėžys – 1:1
14.06.2025 – FK Riteriai vs FK Banga Gargždai – 19:30
14.06.2025 – DFK Dainava Alytus vs FC Hegelmann – 20:00

#	Club	GP	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Kauno Žalgiris	35	22	8	5	41	74
2	Hegelmann FC	35	20	4	11	12	64
3	FK Žalgiris	35	17	11	7	15	62
4	FK Sūduva	35	15	14	6	13	59
5	FA Šiauliai	35	14	9	12	6	51
6	FK Panevėžys	35	13	7	15	5	46
7	FC Džiugas Telšiai	35	13	6	16	-8	45
8	FK Banga Gargždai	35	11	8	16	2	41
9	FK Riteriai	35	6	7	22	-37	25
10	DFK Dainava Alytus	35	3	8	24	-49	17