by Mantas Aliukonis
For Riteriai striker Meinardas Mikulėnas, finding the net last weekend brought little satisfaction. His goal proved a lone bright spot in Vilnius’s 1-5 (0-3) home defeat against Kauno Žalgiris — Riteriai’s heaviest loss of the season so far. Empty stands, delayed wages, and repeated heavy defeats have become the harsh reality for the club, which once again looked overmatched as Kauno Žalgiris cruised to victory without needing to hit top gear.
Although Riteriai briefly threatened after Mikulėnas scored early in the second half, any hope of a comeback quickly faded, leaving new head coach Gintautas Vaičiūnas visibly frustrated by his team’s defensive collapse.
“It’s a sad atmosphere in the locker room,” admitted Mikulėnas, who turned 23 on July 9. “We couldn’t put up a serious fight today. In the middle of the second half, we tried to take the initiative and created a few dangerous moments. For a moment, it felt like we might claw our way back. But in the end, we fell apart completely.”
Despite the arrival of Vaičiūnas, Mikulėnas said the team’s overall approach hasn’t changed much. Training routines and playing principles remain largely the same, with the team relying on youthful energy and effort rather than significant tactical overhauls.
“Nothing much has changed in the team. Our training methods and principles have stayed the same. We’re a young team, so we have to run, fight, and give our all. There have been small adjustments, but overall, it’s the same ideas. Today, we simply lacked desire, energy, and fight — and honestly, that’s what makes me sad.”
Those same youthful qualities can also become liabilities, Mikulėnas noted, as fatigue and inexperience sometimes lead to costly lapses. In the closing stages of the game, players repeatedly lost focus and made positional mistakes, a pattern seen too often this season.
On a personal level, however, Mikulėnas is enjoying the best run of his career. His goal against Kauno Žalgiris was his seventh of the season, making this his most productive spell so far. Yet personal success offers only limited comfort amid the club’s broader struggles.
“I’m happy to be scoring goals, but honestly, I’m not feeling great because the team’s results have been poor,” he said. “I’d like to create and find more dangerous chances. It’s hard when the team isn’t winning.”
Mikulėnas attributes his individual improvement largely to finally getting consistent minutes on the pitch.
“Here at Riteriai, I feel the best because it’s where I’ve had my best stats and the most opportunities. A lot depends on minutes played. Previously, I often came on as a substitute, so it was harder to find rhythm. In all my past clubs, there was strong competition, which sometimes held me back from showing my full potential.”
But Riteriai’s problems aren’t just on the pitch. The club is facing significant financial difficulties, with players still waiting for full payment of their wages.
“The last time we got paid was for April. We’ve received some money for May too. The club said there shouldn’t be problems going forward. Most of us are young local players, so we don’t have huge needs, and we just try to play football. Of course, it’s tough when there’s no stability in the club, but that’s out of our hands. We have to focus on football.”
Despite the uncertainties, Mikulėnas insisted he hasn’t considered giving up, even with relegation fears looming.
“No, those thoughts don’t come up. We have 13 points and we’re not even in the relegation zone — everything’s still in our hands. There’s a lot of games left, and there’s no thought of dropping our heads and just going through the motions to finish the season.”
Being the son of former Lithuanian national team striker Gražvydas Mikulėnas has given Meinardas an invaluable sounding board for advice and support.
“My dad always watches my games and gives me tips from his experience as a player. He sees and assesses things differently than I do. He’s always suggesting ways I could do better — I always get advice from him. Usually, it’s simple things: where I should have made a run quicker, found space, or made a smarter decision. Having played football for so many years, he knows the game and can give deeper insights.”
Reflecting on his time with FK Žalgiris, Mikulėnas acknowledged how tough it is for young players to break through at one of Lithuania’s biggest clubs.
“At FK Žalgiris, whoever scores goals will play. When you’re young, it’s hard to establish yourself and play consistently without making mistakes. There’s no stability — you never know when you’ll get on the pitch, and that doesn’t help your confidence. But on the other hand, you always have to be ready, because your chance will come eventually. At Žalgiris, the strongest players play. If you score goals, you’ll play.”
He confirmed he left Žalgiris on good terms, crediting the club’s majority shareholder with helping him secure loan opportunities when he wasn’t getting regular minutes.
Meanwhile, he praised his current teammate, young goalkeeper Artiom Šankin, despite the difficult season.
“He’s a good, young keeper. Sometimes he makes mistakes, but that’s normal for his age. In this match, he did everything he could.”
Looking ahead, Mikulėnas remains hopeful the club will either bring in reinforcements or give more chances to its younger players. But his frustrations go beyond his own club.
We’re missing even basic conditions. When you go to play at Darius and Girėnas Stadium in Kaunas, you see what bigger football feels like.
“When I travelled with FK Žalgiris for European matches, I realised that football there is a bigger social phenomenon.”, he continued. “You just don’t see that here in Lithuania. We’re stuck in our own little bubble, players just moving between clubs year after year. Playing in the A Lyga, you don’t really experience true football. In Lithuania, we’re missing that football atmosphere, the culture, the feeling. We simply don’t have a football culture here — it doesn’t exist.”
As for idols, Mikulėnas keeps it simple, saying he doesn’t worship any one star but admires top strikers like Harry Kane and Robert Lewandowski.
“I don’t have any particular names I idolise. I look at it quite simply: Harry Kane and Robert Lewandowski are my favourite forwards.”
While the road ahead remains uncertain for both Mikulėnas and Riteriai, his determination to keep pushing forward — for himself, for his team, and for Lithuanian football — remains unshaken, even as he waits for his country to build a true football culture that matches the passion he feels for the game.
If you are enjoying Mantas’s interviews and analysis, please consider supporting his other projects here and here, as well as follow him on TikTok
