Toplyga’s opening round continued on its second day at the Beržų Progymnasium indoor stadium, where FK Panevėžys and FK Sūduva Marijampolė played out a 0-0 draw. Neither side managed to find the net, leaving both teams still searching for their first goals of the new season.
For the Lithuanian Cup holders Panevėžys, this was already their second official match of the season. A few days earlier, they were narrowly defeated 0-1 by FK Kauno Žalgiris in the Lithuanian Super Cup in Vilnius. Compared to that match, head coach Roland Vrabec made one enforced change to his lineup. Tunisian centre-back Rayane Mzoughi, who suffered an injury after just 20 minutes in his debut during the Super Cup, was not included in the squad.
Panevėžys were also without Serbian defender Milan Delević, who is yet to make his debut. The club recently confirmed that Delević underwent surgery and is expected to be sidelined at least until early April.
On the other side, Donatas Vencevičius’ Sūduva officially debuted under their new branding and club logo. Seven players from last season remained in the starting lineup, while four new signings featured. Faustas Steponavičius, who represented Panevėžys last season, started against his former club. Domantas Antanavičius returned to his boyhood club from Hegelmann, making his first appearance for Sūduva since 2018. Two loan signings from Polish clubs, Emmanuel Agbor and Ibrahima Seck, also featured.
The match began cautiously, although the visitors from Marijampolė enjoyed more possession and created the more dangerous opportunities early on. At one point, Sūduva came close when Amadou Sabo struck the post. Despite controlling much of the opening period, Sūduva failed to produce a decisive chance, and the hosts gradually grew into the game.
Panevėžys registered their first shot on target in the 31st minute. Salomon Kouadio collected the ball some distance from goal, drove forward, and unleashed a long-range effort that was saved by Ignas Plūkas.
Shortly before halftime, the home side created another promising opportunity. Kouadio broke into the penalty area, and after the ball ricocheted loose, it fell to Ernestas Burdzilauskas on the left side. From a tight angle, he fired wide of the target.
The first half ended goalless, with both teams still searching for their opening goal of the season.
Sūduva had the best chance of the match early in the second half. The ball found its way into the box, where Panevėžys goalkeeper Vytautas Černiauskas produced two outstanding saves. First, he denied Emmanuel Agbor from close range, and moments later he reacted again to stop Faustas Steponavičius’ immediate follow-up effort.
The remainder of the second half saw a cautious contest with several misplaced passes disrupting the rhythm of play. Clear chances were limited, and most opportunities came from crosses into the area. One of the better openings for Panevėžys followed a Joel Bopesu delivery from the right, with Edvin Muratović well positioned to head on goal, but his effort went straight at the goalkeeper.
Panevėžys came closest to securing a late winner in stoppage time. Substitute Elivelto found himself in an excellent position inside the penalty area, unmarked and with a clear sight of goal from around 12 metres. Attempting to place the ball into the top corner, he struck over the crossbar. Moments later, the referee blew the final whistle, confirming that the points would be shared.
Neither side was able to break the deadlock, and the season opener ended without goals.
In the next round, Panevėžys will travel to face FK Žalgiris Vilnius on Friday, while Sūduva will host FA Šiauliai at home.
FK Panevežys vs FK Sūduva – 0-0 (0-0)
Goals:
PAN: Černiauskas – Rasimavičius, Grafjoner, Januševskij, Bopesu – Ramanauskas, Asanta – Kurtsev (Asamoah 60’), Asante, Burdzilauskas (Elivelto 73’) – Muratovič
SŪD: Plūkas – Uzochukwu, Beneta, Živanovič, Baltrūnas – Steponavičius (Milašius 78′), Antanavičius, Lawson, Seck (Stočkunas 78’) – Agbor (Lucky 78’), Sabo (Omori 89′)
# Team P W D L
GF GA GD Pts
1
FK Banga1
1
0
0
2
0
2
3
2
Džiugas Telšiai1
1
0
0
3
2
1
3
3
FA Šiauliai1
0
1
0
2
2
0
1
4
Transinvest1
0
1
0
2
2
0
1
5
FK Sūduva1
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
6
FK Panevėžys1
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
7
FK Riteriai0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
8
Kauno Žalgiris0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
9
FK Žalgiris1
0
0
1
2
3
-1
0
10
FC Hegelmann1
0
0
1
0
2
-2
0
