In the opening match of Toplyga Round 2, FK Žalgiris Vilnius delivered a dominant second-half performance in front of a packed Sportima Arena, defeating FK Panevėžys 4-1. Deividas Šešplaukis scored twice for the hosts in a statement victory after last week’s setback.
Following the surprising 2-3 defeat against Džiugas Telšiai in the season opener, head coach Rolandas Džiaukštas made three changes to his starting lineup. Croatian duo Petar Bosančić and Marko Čapan were handed their first starts of the season after beginning the opener on the bench, while former FA Šiauliai winger Deividas Šešplaukis also entered the starting eleven after appearing only as a late substitute last week.
Panevėžys head coach Roland Vrabec made just one adjustment from the goalless draw against Sūduva, with experienced Brazilian Elivelton replacing Ernestas Burdzilauskas in the starting lineup.
The visitors struck first in the 16th minute. Right-back Rokas Rasimavičius produced an impressive solo run, breaking into the penalty area between three defenders before calmly finishing into the far corner past Carlos Olses to give Panevėžys the lead.
Žalgiris responded with pressure but were nearly punished again. Edvin Muratovič played Oleksandr Kurtsev through on goal, yet the Ukrainian winger failed to convert the one-on-one opportunity as Olses produced an excellent save to keep the deficit at one.
The equaliser had been building. After a precise delivery from Šešplaukis, Paulius Golubickas struck the post with a header. Moments later, the breakthrough came. Klaudijus Upstas drilled a low cross into the box, which Matulevičius cleverly let run across his body, allowing Šešplaukis to arrive and fire a powerful strike into the top corner – his first goal for the club – making it 1-1.
The second half belonged entirely to the hosts. Within two minutes, Žalgiris turned the match around. In the 48th minute, Giedrius Matulevičius set up Šešplaukis once again, and the winger finished confidently to make it 2-1. Just two minutes later, Saba Mamatashvili’s deep cross caused chaos in the penalty area, and Panevėžys defender Justinas Januševskis inadvertently diverted the ball into his own net to extend the lead to 3-1.
Panevėžys struggled to recover as Žalgiris continued to press relentlessly. In the 63rd minute, Slovenian defender Lovro Grafjoner handled the ball inside the area, resulting in a penalty. Liviu Antal stepped up with the opportunity to extend his scoring streak to 11 consecutive league matches dating back to last season. However, veteran goalkeeper Vytautas Černiauskas saved the initial attempt and denied Antal again on the rebound. The danger was not cleared, though, and Yuri Kendysh reacted quickest to convert the loose ball and seal the result at 4-1.
Antal was substituted shortly after, his scoring run ending at 10 consecutive league matches.
In the closing stages, Žalgiris looked more likely to add a fifth than Panevėžys to score a second. The victory marked Žalgiris’ first win of the new season, while Panevėžys added a first defeat to their opening-round draw.
Notably, this was Panevėžys’ heaviest defeat against Žalgiris since the 2021 Lithuanian Cup final, when the Vilnius side recorded a 5–1 victory.
Žalgiris will now prepare for next Saturday’s league clash against FA Šiauliai, while Panevėžys will aim to secure their first win of the season when they host FC Hegelmann on the same day.
FK Žalgiris Vilnius vs FK Panevežys – 4-1 (1-1)
Goals: Šešplaukis 38′ 48′ Januševskis 50′ (Own goal), Kendysh 64′ | Rasimavičius 16′
ŽAL: Olses – Upstas (Šetkus 76′), Turda, Bosančic, Mamatsashvili – Čapan (Verbickas 68′), Kendysh – Golubickas (Jaruševičius 76′), Matulevičius, Šešplaukis (Teixeira 68′) – Antal (Petkovic 76′)
PAN: Černiauskas – Rasimavičius (van den Bos 72′), Grafjones, Januševskis, Bopesu – Ramanauskas, Asante (Kerkez 88′) – Kurtsev (Burdzilauskas 64′), Kouadio (Adah 64′), Elivelton – Muratovič (Bačanin 72′)
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  FK Žalgiris |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 3 |
| 2 |  FK Banga |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 3 |  Džiugas Telšiai |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 4 |  Kauno Žalgiris |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 5 |  FA Šiauliai |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 |  Transinvest |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 |  FK Sūduva |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 |  FK Panevėžys |
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 1 |
| 9 |  FK Riteriai |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
| 10 |  FC Hegelmann |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
