Lithuania international forward Armandas Kučys scored his second goal in as many matches since returning from injury in the Slovenian top flight, as NK Celje claimed a 3-1 home victory over Radomlje.
The 22-year-old striker had been sidelined for almost 11 months after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury, having last played on March 16. Kučys made his return in the previous round of the Slovenian PrvaLiga, and needed less than two minutes after coming on to score against Maribor, giving Celje the lead. That match later ended in a draw, but Kučys returned to action with confidence.
In this round, Celje hosted mid-table Radomlje. Kučys and fellow Lithuanian Artemijus Tutyškinas were both named in the starting lineup. Kučys opened the scoring in the 17th minute to make it 1-0, registering his second league goal in three days.
With Celje leading, Kučys was substituted in the 56th minute. Radomlje equalized 10 minutes later, but the league leaders responded strongly in the closing stages, scoring twice more to secure all three points.
While this was Kučys’ second league appearance of the season, Tutyškinas completed the full match and received a yellow card. The 22-year-old has now made 16 league appearances this season, scoring two goals.
After 20 matches, Celje remain clear leaders of the Slovenian league, holding a 10-point advantage over second-placed Koper. Their next fixture comes on Sunday in the capital, where they will visit reigning champions Olimpija Ljubljana, who currently sit sixth in the table, 19 points behind Celje.
