By Jānis Vītols
Defending Toplyga champions FK Kauno Žalgiris claimed the Lithuanian Super Cup for the first time in club history with a victory over FK Panevėžys. Latvian forward Dāvis Ikaunieks scored the only goal of the match, which proved decisive for the Kaunas side. Baltic Football News looks back at five observations from the game.
1. An Indoor Arena Is a Valuable Advantage
The match was played at the Marijampolė Football Arena, an indoor venue opened in 2008 with a reported capacity of 2,660. Despite a 15:15 local kick-off on a working weekday, the arena was well attended and loud. Supporters from both clubs, positioned opposite the main television camera stands, created a strong atmosphere and a festive opening to the Lithuanian football season.
In southern Lithuania, temperatures reached as low as -13°C during the day, and forecasts suggest no immediate improvement. As a result, nine of the first ten matches from the opening two rounds are officially scheduled to be played in just two venues: Marijampolė Football Arena and the Sportima Arena in Vilnius.
For reasons not yet publicly clarified, Lithuania’s league has started earlier than the other Baltic competitions this season. There is an argument for beginning the season in traditional outdoor stadiums, but in such conditions, high-quality indoor arenas like those in Marijampolė and Vilnius provide a practical solution for players and supporters alike. Some travelling fans may feel the impact. In the second round, FK Kauno Žalgiris and vice-champions FC Hegelmann will both play their designated home matches in Marijampolė on the same day, five hours apart. Kauno Žalgiris supporters were present in large numbers for this Super Cup match.
2. Centre-Forwards Showing Positive Signs
A notable feature of the match was the presence of traditional centre-forwards on both sides. Ikaunieks will dominate the headlines for demonstrating the instinct and finishing ability by scoring the decisive game-winning goal with the skills that made him known in Lithuania two seasons ago with FA Šiauliai. Although Amine Benchaib was Kauno Žalgiris’ top scorer last season with 15 goals, a club record for a single campaign, he operates in a deeper role rather than as a pure striker. The Kaunas club has not had a traditional centre-forward score 12 or more goals in a season. Whether Ikaunieks can surpass Benchaib’s record as a leading striker remains to be seen.
On the other side, Panevėžys forward Edvin Muratovič also showed encouraging signs. The 28-year-old Luxembourg international, who has 21 caps for his country, underlined his credentials in pre-season with several goals. Luxembourg’s national team includes players from the Bundesliga, Portugal’s top division and other strong European leagues, which places his international experience in context.
Muratovič is tasked with maintaining the standard set by Ariagner Smith, who is set to move to the Kazakh Premier League and was not in the squad for this match. The Nicaraguan striker, aside from missing the 2024 season through injury, has been central to Panevėžys’ attacking success, laying foundations for both the club’s first league title and last season’s cup triumph by scoring in all five cup matches, including the decisive goal in the final.
Muratovič had a goal and an assist ruled out by VAR decisions in this Super Cup. Officially, his statistics column shows zero, but in personal notes he stands out as a player with sharp instincts for creating and converting chances.
3. Švedkauskas Joins Vitkauskas in Rare Company
Kauno Žalgiris goalkeeper Tomas Švedkauskas was not heavily tested, aided by defenders who cleared the ball off the line when required. When called upon, he was assured. The clean sheet makes him only the third goalkeeper in Lithuanian Super Cup history to record two shutouts in separate Super Cup matches.
Previously, Croatian Ivan Kardum achieved the feat with FK Sūduva in 2018 and 2019. Armantas Vitkauskas current FK Banga Gargždai goalkeeper did so in 2009 with FK Sūduva against Ekranas in a penalty shootout victory shortly before his 20th birthday, and again eight years later with FK Žalgiris Vilnius in a win over FK Trakai. Švedkauskas now joins that group, having also kept a Super Cup clean sheet in 2022 with FK Sūduva in a penalty shootout victory over Žalgiris Vilnius.
Švedkauskas and Vitkauskas are the only goalkeepers to have achieved this with two different clubs.
4. No Penalty Shootout This Time
Recent history suggested that in today’s game even before it started penalties were inevitable. From 2021 to 2025, every Super Cup was decided by a shootout. Last year appeared set to break the sequence until FK Banga Gargždai produced a second-half comeback against FK Žalgiris Vilnius, erasing a two-goal deficit. The defending champions at the time eventually prevailed on penalties.
This match seemed to follow a similar path at one stage. After Kauno Žalgiris took the lead, Panevėžys found the net twice, only for both goals to be disallowed. There was also a five-to-ten-minute spell in the second half when Panevėžys pressed deeply in Kaunas territory. In the closing stages, however, Kauno Žalgiris appeared closer to scoring a second goal than conceding an equaliser. The streak of shootout-decided Super Cups came to an end.
5. Two Major Trophies Secured, One Still Missing
Following their first Toplyga title in club history, FK Kauno Žalgiris have now added their first Super Cup in their first appearance in the competition. One major domestic honour remains absent from the club’s trophy cabinet: the Lithuanian Cup.
Seven clubs in Lithuanian football history, both existing and defunct, have won all three major domestic trophies at least once. These include Kaunas Inkaras, Šiauliai Kareda, Panevėžys Ekranas and FBK Kaunas among clubs that no longer exist, and FK Žalgiris Vilnius, FK Sūduva and FK Panevėžys among current teams.
If FK Kauno Žalgiris lift the Lithuanian Cup this year, they would become the eighth club in Lithuanian football history to complete that set.
