Magdušauskas twice hits the woodwork, Banga have to settle for a draw against Hegelmann
FC Hegelmann and Banga Gargždai shared the points after a 1-1 draw in the opening fixture of the 28th Toplyga round, with Banga striking the woodwork from the penalty spot after the hosts had fought back to level the score.
The visitors made the brighter start in Raudondvaris and threatened early through Vaidas Magdušauskas, whose effort flashed wide, before Hegelmann goalkeeper Lukas Paukštė denied Ignas Venckus. The hosts responded with an opportunity of their own when Vilius Armanavičius delivered a dangerous ball towards Darell Tibell, but the move failed to produce a finish.
Banga came close to opening the scoring in the 12th minute as Aaron Olugbogi launched a swift counterattack and picked out Magdušauskas, whose curling effort struck the far post.
The breakthrough arrived nine minutes later. Magdušauskas was again involved, this time providing the assist for Misaki Sato, who found the far corner with the help of the post to give the visitors a deserved 1-0 advantage.
Hegelmann needed only a minute after the restart to draw level. Donatas Kazlauskas found Artem Shchedryi inside the penalty area and the Ukrainian made no mistake, calmly finishing to make it 1-1.
Both sides had chances to find a winner. Sato almost grabbed his second goal of the evening with a header, but Paukšte reacted brilliantly to keep the score level. Magdušauskas also continued to cause problems, forcing another save with a powerful long-range effort.
The visitors were handed a golden opportunity to complete the turnaround in the 70th minute after Paukštė’s mistake inside his own penalty area gifted Banga a penalty. However, Magdušauskas struck the crossbar from the spot, allowing Hegelmann to escape.
Banga continued to push during the closing stages and nearly snatched all three points eight minutes from time, but Olugbogi dragged his effort narrowly wide of the far post.
The draw leaves Banga fourth in the Toplyga standings with 37 points, while Hegelmann remain seventh on 23 points after 28 rounds.
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Kauno Žalgiris |
28 | 14 | 9 | 5 | 56 | 20 | 36 | 51 |
| 2 |  FK Sūduva |
28 | 13 | 11 | 4 | 39 | 25 | 14 | 50 |
| 3 |  Transinvest |
28 | 13 | 6 | 9 | 43 | 35 | 8 | 45 |
| 4 |  FK Žalgiris |
28 | 13 | 5 | 10 | 41 | 34 | 7 | 44 |
| 5 |  FK Banga |
28 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 32 | 28 | 4 | 41 |
| 6 |  Džiugas Telšiai |
28 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 36 | 40 | -4 | 38 |
| 7 |  FK Panevėžys |
28 | 9 | 5 | 14 | 29 | 43 | -14 | 32 |
| 8 |  FC Hegelmann |
29 | 4 | 14 | 11 | 31 | 48 | -17 | 26 |
| 9 |  FA Šiauliai |
29 | 3 | 8 | 18 | 24 | 58 | -34 | 17 |
