Lithuania head coach Edgaras Jankauskas praised his side’s confidence building performance after securing a 3-0 friendly win over Andorra in Kaunas on Wednesday evening ahead of Sunday’s match against Azerbaijan in Baku.
Manfredas Ruzgis and Faustas Steponavičius scored their first international goals in the first half before substitute Armandas Kučys completed the victory late on. The fixture marked Lithuania’s third match of the current international window before traveling to Baku on Friday for their final fixture against Azerbaijan on Sunday.
Reflecting on the match in Kaunas, Jankauskas highlighted the solid nature of the win and praised the squad’s performance. “Such matches certainly add confidence,” Jankauskas said. “A good match, there was an opportunity to see players we saw less often, there were debutants too. A successful match that adds to our confidence ahead of the upcoming match in Azerbaijan. Complete control, solid play, two players scored their first goals for the national team. It can be said that we are in good emotional and physical condition, we were able to rotate players. I would say, a solid victory.”
He also expressed gratitude to the active supporters in Kaunas following the final whistle. “I would also really like to thank ‘Vyčio tribūna’, which chanted non-stop,” Jankauskas added. “Today they were heard even better because there were fewer people in the other stands. Taking this opportunity, I want to thank those people who found the time and came to support us, because for us it was very important.”
The head coach praised his squad’s focus and execution of tactical instructions ahead of Sunday’s fixture. “The team was motivated, focused and fulfilled our game plan,” Jankauskas explained. “We had agreements that perhaps did not succeed in the previous match, but this time everything was good – from those agreements we managed to both create danger and score a goal. Looking ahead to Sunday, all players have the opportunity to play. It is not that we have two squads – players showed that they have skill, that they are physically ready, which is particularly important playing at this level.”
Jankauskas addressed his personal decision to designate Ruzgis as the penalty taker at 0-0 in the first half. “I took this risk upon myself,” Jankauskas said. “Manfredas has already taken more than one penalty at his clubs and I think strikers must take them. For Manfredas, this was his first goal playing for the Lithuanian national team, which is very important for a striker. I saw that nobody objected too much and there was no fight for the ball, especially as the score was still 0-0, so it was a considerable responsibility, and he executed that situation excellently.” Lithuania conclude their September and October international schedule on Sunday, 4 October, when they kick off against Azerbaijan at 16:00.
