Lithuania were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw against Azerbaijan at the Darius and Girėnas Stadium in Kaunas, with Armandas Kučys’ early penalty cancelled out by Mahir Emreli following a costly mistake from goalkeeper Džiugas Bartkus.
After opening their UEFA Nations League campaign with a 2-0 victory away to Liechtenstein, head coach Edgaras Jankauskas made four changes to his starting line-up. Vilius Armalas came into central defence, while Adrian Lickūnas was handed his first senior international start after making his debut against Liechtenstein. Vykintas Slivka also returned to the starting XI, alongside Artūr Dolžnikov, who came off the bench to score Lithuania’s second goal in Vaduz.
Lithuania made an excellent start. In the seventh minute, Gvidas Gineitis was brought down inside the penalty area after Azerbaijan had lost possession, leaving the referee with little hesitation in pointing to the spot. Kučys stepped up two minutes later and confidently converted the penalty to put Lithuania 1-0 ahead.
However, the advantage lasted only five minutes. After Justas Lasickas failed to win an aerial duel, the ball found its way towards Emreli, whose effort slipped through Bartkus lefs as the Lithuanian goalkeeper failed to deal with what should have been a manageable situation, allowing Azerbaijan to level.
Lithuania had an excellent opportunity to restore their lead in the 25th minute. Lickūnas played Lasickas into plenty of space with a well-weighted pass, but the Lithuania captain failed to hit the target.
Azerbaijan also threatened before the break, with Abdulakh Khaybulaev finding space on the edge of the penalty area in the 44th minute before sending his effort narrowly wide.
Lithuania started the second half brightly, with Lukas Michelbrink attempting to punish goalkeeper Emil Balayev after spotting him well away from his goal, but the effort was blocked by the Azerbaijani defence. At the other end, Renat Dadashov soon threatened Bartkus’ goal but fired wide.
Jankauskas’ side increased the pressure as the second half progressed. Gineitis delivered into the area for Kučys in the 68th minute, but the striker’s header went wide. Moments later, Motiejus Burba sent another dangerous ball across the penalty area, only for Kučys to narrowly miss the opportunity to connect.
Lithuania continued searching for the winner, with efforts from Gineitis and Lasickas blocked inside the penalty area in the closing stages, but Azerbaijan held firm to secure a point.
The 1-1 draw leaves Lithuania with four points from their opening two Nations League matches. Before travelling to Azerbaijan for the return fixture next Sunday, Jankauskas’ side will host Andorra in a friendly in Kaunas on Wednesday.
