Late surge not enough as Sūduva’s three month unbeaten run ends with a defeat to Džiugas

An action-packed match took place in the 22nd round of the TOPsport A Lyga in Marijampolė, where FC Džiugas Telšiai nearly lost their three-goal second-half lead but managed to hold off FK Sūduva and secure a 3-2 victory on the opposition’s turf.

Before this clash, Sūduva was sitting second in the standings and had been unbeaten since April 16th, when they lost 0-3 to FK Žalgiris. Meanwhile, FC Džiugas Telšiai, who have steadily improved after a strong start to the season without major dips in form, are aiming for a TOP 4 finish. They entered the match just four points behind fourth-placed FA Šiauliai.

Following a goalless draw last week against bottom club FK Riteriai, Sūduva’s coach made one change to the starting lineup. Maksym Pyrogov, who had been sidelined for nearly two months, earned his first start since returning from injury. On the other side, Džiugas Telšiai’s coach Andrius Lipskis made three changes after their previous round loss to FK Žalgiris. Midfield engine Vilius Piliukaitis returned to the lineup, and after a six-month stint in the Maltese league, new signing Senegalese central defender Bacary Sagne rejoined the squad.

The opening goal came early in the 11th minute when David Martin Anane headed in from a cross by Oleksandr Kurtsev, sending the ball into the near post corner. Near the end of the first half, the lead doubled – on a counterattack, Vilius Piliukaitis found Kurtsev, who unleashed a powerful strike from outside the box that hit the top bar, briefly crossed the goal line, and went out of play. There was some confusion over whether the ball had fully crossed the line, but after a VAR check, it was confirmed as a valid goal.

At the end of the first half, Sūduva scored through Nauris Petkevičius, but as he put the ball in the net, the assistant referee raised the flag for offside. Sūduva, unbeaten in over three months, were in danger as the half ended.

In the second half, Džiugas didn’t let up. Aram Baghdasaryan attempted an acrobatic finish, and although the ball bounced off the player lying on the pitch, he managed to direct it into the goal from the ground, making it a surprising 3-0. Interestingly, the last time Džiugas scored three league goals was exactly one year ago on this date, in a 3-3 draw against FK Panevėžys – what a coincidence.

But Sūduva finally found their rhythm. In the 53rd minute, the home team responded when Frankline Tangiri capitalized on chaos after a corner kick.

Sūduva showed great spirit as Žygimantas Baltrūnas made a brilliant run down the left flank in the 63rd minute, finding an unmarked Tangiri, who completed his brace with a shot into an empty net.

Soon after, Sidy Sanokho and Nauris Petkevičius threatened again, but both attempts were denied by Džiugas goalkeeper Marius Paukštė. Despite continuous pressure and attacking efforts from the hosts, they could not find the equalizer as Džiugas Telšiai get an important win.

After the 22nd round of the TOPsport A Lyga, Džiugas sit fifth in the table with 31 points, while Sūduva, suffering their first home defeat of the season, remain second with 38 points.

FK Sūduva vs FC Džiugas Telšiai – 2:3 (0:2)
Goals: Tangiri 53′, 63′ | Martin 11′, Kurtsev 43′, Baghdasaryan 49′
SŪD: Plūkas, Pyrogov (Stankevičius 46′), Beneta, Zivanovič (Lukšys 85′), Baltrūnas, Tangiri, Sakurai (Lucky 68′), Lawson, Haidara, Sanokho, Petkevičius (Momoh 85′)
DŽI: Paukšte, Vermeulen, Sane, Pushkarov, Trajkovski, Cisse, Piliukaitis (Sobowale 74′), Martin (Yamada 63′), Silkaitis (Vinckus 85′), Kurtsev (Bunchukov 85′), Baghdasaryan (Vasiliauskas 63′)

A Lyga Matchday 22:

• 27.07.2025 – FK Sūduva vs FC Džiugas Telšiai – 2:3
• 28.07.2025 – FC Hegelmann vs FK Riteriai – 20:00
• 20.09.2025 – FK Žalgiris vs DFK Dainava Alytus – 19:00
• 20.08.2025 – FA Šiauliai vs FK Kauno Žalgiris – 19:00
• 20.08.2025 – FK Paņevežys vs FK Banga Gargždai – 19:00