In the final match of the opening round of Lithuania’s Toplyga, reigning champions FK Kauno Žalgiris narrowly avoided a major upset, turning the game around late on to secure a dramatic 2-1 victory over FK Riteriai. Trailing for most of the contest, the champions capitalised on their numerical advantage in the closing stages, with Dāvis Ikaunieks heading home the winner in stoppage time to seal all three points and begin their title defence in winning fashion.
Under new head coach Gorazd Mihajlov, FK Riteriai started with seven domestic players who were already part of last season’s squad, alongside four foreign players. Two of those arrivals came during the winter window – goalkeeper Simone Moschin and Ukrainian attacking player Artem Baftalovskyi. Kauno Žalgiris, who lifted the Super Cup a week earlier, made just one change from that match against Panevežys, as Motiejus Burba was handed his first start in place of Fedor Černych, who missed out through injury.
Riteriai had also opened last season against the defending champions, earning an entertaining 3-3 draw after recovering from a two-goal deficit. This time, however, their start was even sharper. They nearly took the lead inside the first minute when last season’s top scorer Meinardas Mikulėnas broke down the left and fired from a tight angle, only to be denied by Kaunas goalkeeper Švedkauskas.
Six minutes later, though, there was no stopping him. A costly mistake by centre-back Aldayr Hernandez inside the penalty area allowed Simas Civilka to dispossess him cleanly and square the ball for Mikulėnas, who calmly finished from close range. The 23-year-old, who netted nine league goals last season, opened his account for the new campaign and handed Riteriai a deserved early lead.
The champions struggled to find their rhythm in the first half. While they delivered several dangerous crosses, Riteriai’s defence dealt with them effectively. Kauno Žalgiris did find the net once, but the goal was ruled out for offside. As the half progressed, Riteriai slowed the tempo intelligently, frustrating the visitors and heading into the break fully deserving of their advantage.
Kauno Žalgiris head coach Eivinas Černiauskas responded at half-time, introducing Leo Ribeiro for last season’s top scorer Amine Benchaib, who had been largely quiet. The champions increased the tempo after the restart, with Gratas Sirgėdas testing Moschin from distance early in the second half. The Italian goalkeeper was called into action several times as pressure mounted.
Riteriai continued to threaten on the counter and even had the ball in the net again, only for the move to be halted for offside in the build-up. Still, the momentum was shifting. Kauno Žalgiris pushed forward relentlessly, forcing Riteriai deeper and deeper into their own half.
The turning point arrived in the 80th minute when Jonas Usavičius received his second yellow card in a needless challenge, reducing Riteriai to ten men for the closing stages. From that moment on, the match became one-way traffic.
Dāvis Ikaunieks twice came close to equalising, only to be denied by Moschin’s impressive reflexes. But the breakthrough finally arrived when Ribeiro delivered a precise cross into the area and Georgian centre-back Anton Tolordava rose unmarked to power home a header, levelling the score and breaking Riteriai’s resistance.
With only four minutes of stoppage time added, Riteriai threw everything into defence. Ribeiro nearly completed the turnaround himself when his long-range effort crashed against the post. Yet the decisive blow came in the first minute of added time. Following a corner, Ikaunieks met the ball with a well-placed header into the far corner, scoring his first league goal of the season and completing the comeback.
What had seemed set to be an early shock instead became a statement of resilience from the champions. Kauno Žalgiris escaped with a 2-1 victory and began their title defence with three hard-earned points, while Riteriai were left to reflect on how close they had come to a famous result.
FK Riteriai vs FK Kauno Žalgiris – 1-2 (1-0)
Goals: Mikulenas 7’ | Tolordava 86’ Ikaunieks 90+2’
Red Card: Usavičius 80’
RIT: Moschin – Karamarko (Latvys 74’), Vaitkūnas, Bulatovič – Kaulinis (Garapko 90+2’), Usavičius, Šveistrys, Rimpa, Civilka – Mikulenas (Lipinskas 88’), Baftalovskyi (Zdanovič 74’)
KAU: Švedkauskas – Moutachy, Tolordava, Hernandez, Edokpolor – Sirgedas, Karashima – Burba (Lekiatas 84’), Benchaib (Leo Ribeiro 46’), Ourega – Ikaunieks
Toplyga Matchday 1:
- 21.02.2026 – FK Žalgiris Vilnius vs FC Džiugas Telšiai – 2-3
- 22.02.2026 – FK Panevėžys vs FK Sūduva – 0-0
- 22.02.2026 – FC Hegelmann vs FK Banga Gargždai 0-2
- 22.02.2026 – FK TransInvest vs FA Šiauliai – 2-2
- 23.02.2026 – FK Riteriai vs FK Kauno Žalgiris – 1-2
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  FK Banga |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 2 |  Džiugas Telšiai |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 |  Kauno Žalgiris |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 4 |  FA Šiauliai |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 |  Transinvest |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 |  FK Sūduva |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 |  FK Panevėžys |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 |  FK Žalgiris |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 0 |
| 9 |  FK Riteriai |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
| 10 |  FC Hegelmann |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |