Kauno Žalgiris dominate FA Šiauliai to stay at the top of A Lyga, Emsis rescues point for Banga

In a commanding performance at the Darius and Girėnas Stadium, Kauno Žalgiris cruised to a 3–0 victory over FA Šiauliai in Matchday 13 of the TOPsport A Lyga, solidifying their position at the top of the table. Meanwhile, FK Banga Gargždai rescued a point with a 1–1 draw against FK Panevėžys, thanks to Aivars Emsis’ converted penalty late in stoppage time.

Inside the Darius and Girenas Stadium right from the opening whistle, Eivinas Černiauskas’ side showed attacking intent. Just five minutes in, they were awarded a penalty, setting the tone for a high-octane first half. However, Dejan Georgijević, fresh off a standout performance in the midweek Lithuanian Cup match against their rivals by scoring a poker, saw his effort from the spot saved by Gustas Baliutavičius.

Žalgiris continued to push forward with purpose. In the 17th minute, young midfielder Ernestas Burdzilauskas found himself with a golden opportunity, but Baliutavičius came off his line well to parry the shot. Moments later, Burdzilauskas again found himself unmarked in front of goal but failed to make proper contact, letting Šiauliai off the hook.

The breakthrough finally came in the 37th minute. A sharp delivery into the box from Temur Chogadze found Georgijević, who made amends for his earlier miss. After his first attempt was blocked, the Serbian striker fired home on the rebound to give Žalgiris a 1–0 lead.

Coming out of the break, Georgijević wasted no time in doubling the advantage. In the 46th minute, he was in the right place at the right time to pounce on a rebound, slotting in his second of the night past a helpless Baliutavičius.

Šiauliai attempted to mount a response, with Gabijus Micevičius missing a decent chance inside the box. But their hopes were dashed shortly after. In the 58th minute, full-back Nosa Edokpolor joined the scoring act with a beautifully placed shot, leaving the goalkeeper no chance and stretching the lead to 3–0.

With this result, Šiauliai remain in fourth place with 21 points, while Kauno Žalgiris, now three points richer, tighten their grip on the top spot in the A Lyga standing with 27 points.

FK Kauno Žalgiris vs FA Šiauliai – 3:0 (1:0)
Goals: Georgijevic 37′ 47′, Edokpolor 58′
KAU: Švedkauskas, Kerkez, Jurjonas, Hernandez, Edokpolor, Chogadze (Armanavičius 66′), Naah, Burdzilauskas (Vosylius 73′), Ourega (Černych 80′), Sirgedas (Paulauskas 66′), Georgijevic (Jansonas 73′)
ŠIA: Baliutavičius, Micevičius, Bierontas, Gaspuitis, Sadzoute (Jarašius 79′), Sesplaukis, Zebrauskas, Kubilinskas (Petravičius 60′), Komissarov (Šimkus 67′), Djokic (Klimavičius 67′), Romanovskij (Jankauskas 79′)

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In Gargždai the match began cautiously, with neither side able to seize control in the opening 15 minutes. Banga’s Pijus Srėbalius made an early push into the box but fired wide, while Lucas de Vega’s attempt was blocked by the Banga defense.

Panevėžys broke the deadlock in the 17th minute when Pavle Radunović latched onto a pass from Elivelto and unleashed a powerful strike past Mantas Bertašius. It was the Serbian striker’s sixth goal of the season and a clinical finish that gave the visitors a deserved lead.

Banga thought they had equalized shortly after, but the linesman’s flag ruled out the goal, keeping the scoreline 0-1. The home side struggled to generate fluid attacking play, often let down by slow ball movement and inaccurate passing. Their best first-half chance came from Srėbalius, who narrowly missed the target.

The game tilted in Banga’s favor in the 75th minute when Panevėžys were reduced to ten men. Defender Justinas Januševskis—who previously played for Banga—received his second yellow card, leaving the visitors shorthanded.

With the man advantage, Banga pressed forward and were rewarded in stoppage time. A handball in the box handed them a lifeline, and Emsis made no mistake from the spot to level the match.

The dramatic finish saw Banga draw level on points with Vilnius Žalgiris, while Panevėžys, despite the early lead, were forced to settle for a single point, remaining fifth in the standings with 18 points.

FK Banga Gargždai vs FK Paņevežys – 1:1 (0:1)
Goals: Emsis 90+6′ (Penalty kick) | Radunovic 17′
BAN: Bertašius, Antužis, Simao, Jose Elo, Figueredo, Praleika (Magdušauskas 46′), Ramanauskas, Victory (Toleikis 83′), Andrejev (Ambrazaitis 65′), Srebalius (Emsis 83′), Venckus
PAN: Černiauskas, Rasimavičius, Kerkez, Januševskis, Krasniqi, Elivelton (Veliulis 64′), Asante, De Vega (Karvatskyi 90′), Steponavičius (Dante 77′), Radunovic, Smith (Asamoah 64′)

A Lyga Matchday 13 games:

• 23.05.2025 – FK Banga Gargždai vs FK Paņevežys – 1:1
• 23.05.2025 – FK Kauno Žalgiris vs FA Šiauliai – 3:0
• 24.05.2025 – FK Riteriai vs FC Hegelmann – 19:00
• 25.05.2025 – FK Žalgiris vs DFK Dainava Alytus – 16:30
• 25.05.2025 – FC Džiugas Telšiai vs FK Sūduva – 19:00