Panevėžys secure first win of the season, Riteriai still winless
FK Panevėžys secured their first victory of the Toplyga season, defeating FK Riteriai 2-1 at home. Meanwhile, Riteriai’s difficult start to the campaign continued as they suffered their fifth defeat in five matches, still searching for their first point of the season.
Photo: FK Panevežys/Facebook The opening goal came in the 23rd minute, gifted to the hosts by a costly mistake in the Riteriai defense. Deinmantas Rimpa received the ball inside his own penalty area but held onto it for too long, allowing Luxembourg striker Edvin Muratović to dispossess him. Muratović quickly capitalized, calmly beating the goalkeeper to give Panevėžys a 1-0 lead.
However, the advantage lasted only two minutes. In the 25th minute, Dmytro Bondar intercepted a pass in midfield and launched a rapid counterattack. He found Meinardas Mikulėnas, who finished clinically past Vytautas Černiauskas to level the score at 1-1.
The fast-paced first half continued to deliver goals. In the 30th minute, Muratović turned provider, setting up Elivelton directly in front of goal. The experienced Brazilian midfielder had plenty of space and fired home from around 18 meters, restoring Panevėžys’ lead.
Riteriai’s hopes of mounting a comeback suffered a major blow in the 60th minute when their attacking leader Meinardas Mikulėnas received a red card for dissent, leaving the visitors to play the remainder of the match with ten men.
Despite the numerical advantage, the final stages of the match produced few clear chances for either side. Panevėžys managed the game effectively to protect their lead, eventually securing a much-needed victory.
The result finally puts Panevėžys on the board this season, while Riteriai remain rooted at the bottom of the table after five consecutive defeats in the opening rounds.
Round 32
Džiugas Telšiai
FK Žalgiris
FK Sūduva
Kauno Žalgiris| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kauno Žalgiris |
28 | 14 | 9 | 5 | 56 | 20 | 36 | 51 |
| 2 | FK Sūduva |
29 | 13 | 11 | 5 | 39 | 29 | 10 | 50 |
| 3 | FK Žalgiris |
29 | 14 | 5 | 10 | 45 | 34 | 11 | 47 |
| 4 | Transinvest |
28 | 13 | 6 | 9 | 43 | 35 | 8 | 45 |
| 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 |
