Estonia will host Lithuania at the A. Le Coq Arena on Saturday, aiming to extend their upswing in Women’s World Cup qualifying after taking four points from their last two matches.
Aleksandra Ševoldajeva’s side opened the campaign in March with a 3-1 defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina, but responded with a goalless draw away to Lithuania on 7 March 2026 before ending a six-month winless run by beating Liechtenstein in midweek.
That victory came at a cost, with 19-year-old defender Annegret Kala sent off around the hour mark, leaving Estonia to reshuffle their back three for the rematch. “It’s a real shame to be without Annegret,” Ševoldajeva said. “When she cried after the game, I felt like I might shed a tear when picking the team. But the players who have come in, and those who didn’t play, have shown very good quality. We have to find the right back three.”
Estonia dominated possession against Liechtenstein and registered 17 attempts, nine on target, scoring twice through Vlada Kubassova’s penalty and Katrin Kirpu’s direct run into the area. Liechtenstein also threatened, scoring from outside the box, before the red card altered the closing stages.
Lithuania arrive top of the group on seven points after a 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, a result built on a game plan centred on counter-attacks and set plays. Striker Rimantė Jonušaitė scored both goals and has six of Lithuania’s eight goals in the section, making her the leading scorer across the qualifying campaign so far.
“We went out believing we could win,” Jonušaitė said in an interview with the LFF. “We were not satisfied at all with how we played Estonia last time. We wanted to win that match and I feel we deserved to win. We carried that feeling and attitude into the match against Bosnia. We worked hard, believed, and left everything on the pitch.”
Ševoldajeva said Estonia must protect themselves better in transition and avoid giving Lithuania opportunities to break or deliver into the box, while still finding the right balance to attack. “We have to be ready in the same way,” she said. “In moments when we lose the ball we have to drop a bit quicker, and someone has to deal with her. There are plenty of positive examples from the last match and we will lean on those.”
Kick-off is at 17:00 local time on 18 April. The match officials are from Turkey, led by referee Asen Albayrak.
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Source: https://soccernet.ee/artikkel/eesti-otsib-eelmine-kord-marru-aetud-leedu-vastu-oigeid-liidetavaid-et-kokku-tuleks-kolm
