The ninth round of the Pirma Lyga delivered major shifts at the top of the table, as the long-standing two-team lead was finally broken apart.
Until now, FK Babrungas and FK Minija had set a relentless pace for the rest of the league, but Babrungas dropped their first points of the campaign over the weekend.
Minija Take Sole Possession of First Place
“We’re happy to have taken points away from the league leaders, although we could have achieved even more,” said Marius Šluta after his FK Atmosfera side ended Babrungas’ seven-match winning streak.
Atmosfera took the lead in the 37th minute and looked set for a famous victory after Plungė substitute Pablo Duarte received two yellow cards in just 14 minutes following his introduction in the 67th minute. However, Babrungas salvaged a point late on when Eridanas Bagužas scored in the 87th minute to secure a 1-1 draw.
The result opened the door for Minija to become the league’s sole leaders. The Kretinga side recorded their eighth victory in as many matches with a 3-1 home win against FK Dainava.
Julius Kasparavičius put the hosts ahead after an hour of play, but Cheikhas Faye quickly restored parity. Shortly afterward, South Korean midfielder Lee Minwoo converted a penalty kick before Minija sealed the victory deep into stoppage time. The club now sits top of the standings with 24 points, two ahead of Babrungas.
Brazilian Forward Fires Be1 Up the Table
Babrungas’ stumble also benefited FC Be1, who reduced the gap to second place to five points after a commanding 5-2 victory over FA Šiauliai B.
The match featured a battle between two of the league’s top scorers Tomas Gudaitis and Michael Thuique. It was the Brazilian forward who stole the spotlight, netting a hat-trick to move to seven goals for the season and take sole possession of first place in the league’s scoring charts. Gudaitis also found the net, registering his sixth goal of the campaign.
Just behind Be1 in the standings are neighboring rivals FK Garliava, who earned a 2-1 away victory against Vilnius BFA.
Seventeen-year-old Žygimantas Jurevičius created the opening goal for the hosts, with Artiomas Osipovičius finishing the move in the 51st minute. Garliava responded almost immediately through a Tomas Rakašius penalty before Martinas Perez completed the comeback.
Neptūnas Continue Their Revival
Just a few weeks ago, FK Neptūnas were languishing in 12th place. Since Andrius Jokšas replaced the club’s previous Ukrainian coaching staff, however, the team has enjoyed a dramatic turnaround.
Neptūnas secured their third consecutive victory with a narrow 1-0 win over FK Jonava, climbing to fifth place in the process.
Jonava were without suspended striker Younes Houato, and the visitors capitalized through a spectacular volley from Hamed Diawara in the 23rd minute.
Close behind Neptūnas are FK Tauras, who rescued a dramatic 2-2 draw against FK Žalgiris B in Vilnius.
Eighteen-year-old midfielder Martynas Statkus gave Tauras the lead in the 58th minute, but goals from Kajus Bička and Vakaris Berenta turned the game in favor of the hosts. Deep into stoppage time, Statkus struck again to snatch a valuable point for the visitors.
Ekranas Finally Open Their Account
“We don’t understand ourselves why things have been going so badly,” representatives of FK Ekranas had repeatedly admitted in recent weeks.
Their difficult run finally came to an end over the weekend, as Ekranas collected their first points of the season with a dramatic 1-0 home victory over fellow strugglers Kauno Žalgiris B.
The decisive moment came in stoppage time, when 32-year-old veteran Edvardas Tamulevičius scored the winning goal. Following the defeat, Kauno Žalgiris B remain the only team in the league still without a point this season.
Hegelmann B Finish the Round in Style
The ninth round concluded on Monday in Raudondvaris, where FC Hegelmann B defeated FK TransINVEST B 2-1.
The visitors established control early, with Augustas Tamaševičius opening the scoring in the 14th minute before Nojus Petkus doubled the advantage in the 35th.
The hosts mounted a second-half response, and Lukas Jonaitis scored his third goal of the season, but Hegelmann B held on to secure all three points.
Source: https://1lyga.lt/9-asis-turas-atsidare-autsaideriai-ir-lyderiu-dueto-skyrybos/
