FK TransINVEST climbed into fourth place in the Toplyga standings after edging Džiugas Telšiai 1-0 on Sunday, with summer signing Amadou Traore scoring the decisive goal in the only match of the 24th round.
Both sides threatened early without finding the target. TransINVEST’s Yegor Glushach and Džiugas Deitonas Vinckus each fired narrowly wide from inside the penalty area before the visitors began to take control.
Džiugas came closest to breaking the deadlock in the first half through their leading scorer Ronald Sobowale, whose effort from inside the box drifted just over the crossbar. Denys Bunchukov then unleashed a powerful long-range strike that flashed through a crowded penalty area before narrowly missing the target.
The visitors continued to create the better opportunities, with Vinckus rattling the woodwork from distance. At the other end, TransINVEST nearly punished them immediately as Xabi Auzmendi’s header from a corner forced Marius Paukšte into his first significant save of the afternoon.
The hosts thought they had taken the lead just before half-time following another corner. Domantas Šluta’s shot from outside the penalty area took two deflections, the final one coming off Jakub Wawszczyk before ending up in the net. However, after a VAR review, the goal was disallowed after officials spotted a handball by striker Stefan Miloševic before the ball reached Šluta.
Džiugas continued to waste chances after the restart. Bacary Sané escaped his marker from a corner and found himself completely free inside the box, but headed wide from an excellent position.
That missed opportunity proved costly. In the 70th minute, Edvinas Girdvainis launched a long ball forward and hesitation between the Džiugas defenders allowed substitute Amadou Traore to race through. Playing only his second match for the club, the French winger calmly lifted the ball over the advancing goalkeeper with his first touch to score the only goal of the game.
Džiugas were unable to find an equaliser and their frustrations boiled over in the closing stages. In the 90th minute, Ivorian defender Ibrahim Cisse was shown a straight red card after elbowing Edvinas Girdvainis in an duel, with the fourth official alerting the referee to the offence.
The victory lifts TransINVEST into fourth place with 32 points from 21 matches, while Džiugas remain third with 33 points. The result further compressed the Toplyga standings, with just four points separating first place from sixth.
FK TransINVEST vs FC Džiugas Telšiai – 1-0 (0-0)
Goals: Traore 70′
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Kauno Žalgiris |
20 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 38 | 15 | 23 | 34 |
| 2 |  FK Sūduva |
20 | 8 | 9 | 3 | 26 | 17 | 9 | 33 |
| 3 |  Džiugas Telšiai |
21 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 29 | 23 | 6 | 33 |
| 4 |  Transinvest |
21 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 30 | 28 | 2 | 32 |
| 5 |  FK Žalgiris |
20 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 30 | 22 | 8 | 31 |
| 6 |  FK Banga |
20 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 22 | 15 | 7 | 30 |
| 7 |  FC Hegelmann |
21 | 4 | 10 | 7 | 23 | 34 | -11 | 22 |
| 8 |  FK Panevėžys |
20 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 18 | 37 | -19 | 19 |
| 9 |  FA Šiauliai |
21 | 2 | 7 | 12 | 18 | 43 | -25 | 13 |
