On Sunday, it will be decided which team lifts the 2025 FPRO LFF Cup. For Hegelmann, this will be their third appearance in the final. They previously reached the decisive stage in 2022 and 2024 but lost on both occasions, leaving them still searching for their first trophy.
“We need to concentrate on the upcoming match. This will be our third time in the final. As a club, as an organization, and for me as a coach, we now have the experience. We’ll do everything we can to make sure this is the one.
In a final, there’s no room for mistakes, and both teams know it. For the players, it’s a special game, also because qualification for Europe is at stake. Will that bring extra motivation? I think they’ll already be motivated. It’s a fight for a trophy, and that’s what matters most,” said head coach Andrius Skerla.
Captain Klaudijus Upstas echoed his coach’s words, admitting that the situation feels eerily familiar:
“It’s like déjà vu. We must win, that’s the word we have to use, but we also need balance, because we don’t want to feel that déjà vu again.
Last year after the semifinal we were already living in the mood of the final, but this time it’s different. Every match is a new story. Whether you won or lost yesterday doesn’t matter. Today it all starts 0:0,” said the defender.
Throughout this season, Hegelmann have often shown character by scoring decisive goals late in matches, something Skerla believes could be key again:
“Challenges make you stronger. Especially early in the season, we had games where we had to come from behind, and the team proved it has character. In big moments, we don’t collapse.”
Upstas highlighted the same factor:
“Looking back at the season, there were so many times we pulled something out at the end. You don’t know where the goal will come from, but it does, because leaders step up. And not just the usual leaders, but also guys coming off the bench. That’s the strength of our team, we have difference-makers everywhere.”
For the first time, the Cup final will be held in Jonava. Upstas joked that the new location might bring him more luck than Kaunas’s Darius and Girėnas Stadium, where he has already suffered two painful final defeats:
“Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever won a game there. Not against Žalgiris Kaunas, not in cup finals. I’ve never left that stadium happy, so maybe it’s cursed. To be honest, I preferred the idea of playing in Jonava anyway,” he laughed.
Skerla, meanwhile, warned that the final may not be decided in 90 minutes:
“Finals are matches where you might not win in regular time. Our last two finals were very even, without one team standing out. Extra time and penalties are always possible. Of course, we’d prefer not to go to penalties, but we are preparing for every scenario.
Winning the Cup is important not only for the club, but for me as a coach as well. I’ve led the team this far, but now comes the last step, and it’s the most important one. It’s never easy to reach the final, but I believe this year we can finally break through,” he concluded.
Source: https://fchegelmann.com/hegelmann-klubas-zvelgia-i-finala-tikime-kad-siemet-pagaliau-perlausime/
