Round 2 of the Toplyga continued in Marijampolė, where two opening-round winners faced off. Despite playing the final stages with ten men, reigning champions Kauno Žalgiris secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over FC Banga Gargždai.
Head coach Eivinas Černiauskas kept faith with the same starting eleven that narrowly defeated Riteriai in the opening round, where Latvian forward Dāvis Ikaunieks had scored the winner. Meanwhile, Banga manager David Afonso made two changes following his side’s 2-0 victory over Hegelmann, handing debuts to Brazilian left-back Carlos Pires and Swiss striker Aaron Appiah.
The visitors threatened early. In the 4th minute, goalkeeper Tomas Švedkauskas produced an impressive reflex save after Vaidas Magdušauskas broke down the left and found Appiah inside the area. However, Magdušauskas was forced off injured in the 19th minute and replaced by Dovydas Norvilas.
Kauno Žalgiris broke the deadlock in the 36th minute. Joris Moutachy delivered from the right flank into the penalty area, where Motiejus Burba connected powerfully to give the champions the lead.
Early in the second half, Banga attempted to respond. Following a mistake by Gratas Sirgėdas, Aaron Olugbogi surged forward, beating multiple defenders before the move ultimately broke down in the final phase.
The decisive turning point came in the 55th minute. Moutachy miscontrolled the ball and then fouled Rokas Filipavičius as the defender surged forward. Referee showed a straight red card for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity. Although the resulting free kick failed to produce an equaliser, Sidas Praleika struck the rebound into the side netting.
Banga pressed heavily in the closing minutes. In the 89th minute, Švedkauskas once again stepped up, saving a long-range effort from Kofi Asare. Moments later, he denied Appiah at close range, while Ricardo Henning fired over the bar from the rebound.
Despite sustained pressure, Kauno Žalgiris held on to claim their second consecutive win of the season. Banga, meanwhile, suffered their first defeat of the new campaign.
FK Kauno Žalgiris vs FK Banga Gargždai – 1-0 (1-0)
Goals: Burba 36′
KAU: Švedkauskas – Edokpolor, Hernandez, Tolordava, Moutachy – Karashima, Sirgedas (Černych 81′) – Ourega (Paulauskas 81′), Benchaib (Lekiatas 81′), Burba (Burdzilauskas 58′) – Ikaunieks (Leo Ribeiro 58′)
BAN: Krynskyi – Žebrauskas, Malžniskas, Simao, Cadu (Antužis 79′) – Filipavičius, Praleika – Sato (Cande 68′), Magdušauskas (Norvilas 19′ Henning 79′), Olugbogi (Asare 79′) – Appiah
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Kauno Žalgiris |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| 2 |  Džiugas Telšiai |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 3 |  FK Žalgiris |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 3 |
| 4 |  FK Banga |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 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 |  FC Hegelmann |
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 1 |
| 9 |  FK Panevėžys |
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 1 |
| 10 |  FK Riteriai |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
