FC Džiugas failed to capitalise on FK Kauno Žalgiris dropping points earlier in the day, suffering a narrow 0-1 home defeat against FK Banga Gargždai in Toplyga round 14.
The visitors started the match brighter and nearly grabbed an early lead within the opening minutes. Ignas Venckus delivered a clever pass into the path of Misaki Sato, but the Japanese attacking player was denied by veteran goalkeeper Marius Paukštė, who reacted well to keep the score level.
Banga continued looking more threatening during the opening stages and also came close through Aaron Olugbogi, whose dangerous free kick flew narrowly over the crossbar.
Despite the lively start, clear chances became increasingly rare as the first half progressed. Džiugas struggled to create danger for long periods and only produced their first real opportunity right before halftime when Denis Ževžikovas fired a shot from the edge of the penalty area just wide of the post.
The visitors resumed the second half with renewed intensity and Venckus quickly became the central figure. In the 51st minute his effort was once again denied by Paukštė, but moments later the Banga forward finally found the breakthrough.
Following a corner kick, the ball dropped dangerously inside the six-yard box where Venckus reacted first and calmly finished from close range to score his fourth goal of the season and put the visitors ahead 1-0.
Džiugas were forced to chase the game afterwards, but repeatedly found themselves frustrated by Ukrainian goalkeeper Krynskyi. He first produced a strong save to stop Deitonas Vinckus before later making an even more impressive intervention against Valentino Vermeulen as the home side increased the pressure late on.
Despite throwing numbers forward in the closing stages, Džiugas could not find an equaliser and were eventually condemned to defeat, while Banga continued their outstanding unbeaten run. The club has now avoided defeat in every league match since losing against Panevėžys on March 21.
The victory allows Banga to move level on points with third-placed TransINVEST, although their direct rivals still have a game in hand. Meanwhile, Džiugas missed an important opportunity to move closer to league leaders Kauno Žalgiris, with the gap between the top two sides remaining five points.
FC Džiugas Telšiai vs FK Banga Gargždai – 0-1 (0-0)
Goal: Venckus 51′
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Kauno Žalgiris |
14 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 33 | 10 | 23 | 29 |
| 2 |  Džiugas Telšiai |
14 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 18 | 14 | 4 | 24 |
| 3 |  Transinvest |
13 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 24 | 14 | 10 | 22 |
| 4 |  FK Banga |
14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 22 |
| 5 |  FK Sūduva |
14 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 18 | 12 | 6 | 19 |
| 6 |  FK Žalgiris |
13 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 19 | 14 | 5 | 19 |
| 7 |  FK Panevėžys |
13 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 13 | 21 | -8 | 15 |
| 8 |  FC Hegelmann |
14 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 13 | 21 | -8 | 14 |
| 9 |  FA Šiauliai |
14 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 11 | 22 | -11 | 13 |
| 10 |  FK Riteriai |
13 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 34 | -31 | 3 |
