Matchday 10 of the A Lyga was packed with action. The first coaching departure of the season occurred, the reigning champions continued to struggle, losing three straight games, which last happened 17 years ago, and league leaders FC Hegelmann showcased a defensive masterclass against Šiauliai, extending their lead at the top of the table.
The standout match of the day was Šiauliai hosting league leaders Hegelmann, who aimed to bounce back after suffering a record defeat against FK Sūduva in the previous matchday. However, the headlines were dominated by the struggling champions, FK Žalgiris, who experienced their first-ever defeat against FK Banga Gargždai, losing 0-2. Under manager Vladimir Cheburin, the defending champions now find themselves with three consecutive losses and have dropped four of their last five games. The last time they faced such a drought was back in 2008.
In their last five matches, Žalgiris has only outperformed their opponents in terms of expected goals (xG) in two instances: during a win against Sūduva and narrowly in a 2-3 defeat against Paņevežys. In their recent match against Banga Gargždai, they recorded for the second time this season less than 1.00 xG, while Banga doubled that with over 2. The match also marked the first start of the season for Carlos Olses, the former Valmiera FC goalkeeper, who made a solid impression in his debut, making five saves. However, the real issue for Žalgiris was their defensive struggles, as both goals conceded resulted from horrendous defensive mistakes.
Credit must be given to the Banga Gargždai players, who capitalized on those opportunities and are now secretly on a three-game winning streak, closing in on the top of the table. 21-year-old Vaidas Maguasuskas and Dutch midfielder Nouri El Harmazi scored their first goals of the season.
League leaders FC Hegelmann increased their advantage in the A Lyga to three points after defeating FA Šiauliai 3-0. In April, the Šiauliai team had gone undefeated, winning three out of five matches, with the other two ending in draws. They began the match against Hegelmann in fifth place, and if they had secured a victory, they could have created a five-way tie for first place. However, they struggled in tough weather conditions, mustering only 0.08 xG for the entire match, which marks an anti-record for the club. Hegelmann, on the other hand, secured their win with two early second-half goals from Vilius Armalas and Abdel Njoya. Armalas, who scored twice in the match, now has four goals for the season—a career high in his fifth season with Hegelmann.
The only remaining winless team in the Baltics is DFK Dainava Alytus, and they have now parted ways with their coach Sergey Kuznetsov following a 0-2 defeat against one of the league leaders, FC Džiugas Telšiai. After just ten games this season, Kuznetsov announced his departure in the post-match press conference. However, the focus of this story is not on Dainava’s struggles, but on Džiugas, who are experiencing their best start in club history in the top flight of Lithuanian football, amassing 18 points after ten games and tying for second place in the league.
Džiugas has combined a good mix of youth and experience, and strong goalkeeping. Manager Andrius Lipskis has excelled at the helm, boasting the best defense in the league by allowing only seven goals thus far. Goalkeeper Marius Paukšte has been outstanding, leading the league in saves made (42) and preventing goals with a rating of 2.4.
The backline has been surprisingly effective, featuring the experienced Miroslav Pushkarov and rookie Daniels Nosegbe Suško in his first professional season. However, the bar has been set high, and maintaining this momentum will be challenging for Džiugas, as they have previously experienced a drop in performance. Last season, they started strong but plummeted from second place in May to the bottom of the league by early November.
Another team just three points behind league leaders FC Hegelmann, FK Kauno Žalgiris, redeemed themselves for earlier dropped points against Riteriai with a 3-1 win. The team’s primary offensive threats, Romualdas Jansonas and Amine Benchaib, marked their presence by scoring a goal each in this match. Altogether, these two players account for 73% of Kauno Žalgiris’s goals this season (11 out of 15), and their continued performance will be crucial for the team’s title aspirations.
A Lyga Matchday 10 results:
- FA Šiauliai 0-3 FC Hegelmann
- FK Banga Gargždai 2-0 FK Žalgiris
- FC Džiugas Telšiai 2-0 DFK Dainava Alytus
- FK Sūduva 0-0 FK Paņevežys
- FK Kauno Žalgiris 3-1 FK Riteriai
A Lyga will return to action on the 9th of May with a game between FK Žalgiris vs FK Riteriai, and end on the 11th of May with DFK Dainava Alytus hosting FA Šiauliai.
| # | Club | GP | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Kauno Žalgiris | 11 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 21 |
| 2 | FK Sūduva | 11 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 21 |
| 3 | Hegelmann FC | 11 | 7 | 0 | 4 | -1 | 21 |
| 4 | FA Šiauliai | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 18 |
| 5 | FC Džiugas Telšiai | 11 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 18 |
| 6 | FK Žalgiris | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 15 |
| 7 | FK Panevėžys | 11 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 14 |
| 8 | FK Banga Gargždai | 11 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 14 |
| 9 | FK Riteriai | 11 | 2 | 4 | 5 | -3 | 10 |
| 10 | DFK Dainava Alytus | 11 | 0 | 2 | 9 | -13 | 2 |
