In the duel with “Džiugu” the people of Vilnius were the first to concede a goal, but later they scored twice and won 2:1. “Žalgiris” won its second win in a row despite unfavorable circumstances – they had to play 3 times in 7 days, and in recent days the team not only lost Paulius Golubicka who suffered a serious injury, but also had to fight with illnesses before the match.
“Thank you to the fans. The timing was not the best for the audience. Sunday at 4 p.m. only the most loyal, true football lovers can come in this weather. It was hot for both teams. It was hot on the pitch. We started really well. We created chances, threatened the opponent’s goal. The opponent also created good chances. We scored goals. A lot of fighting, a lot of stress on the field. Missed penalty – not very good. Although we earned it. Maybe we were scared, we don’t often hit. It’s good that we still scored and won. There is something to work on. Bravo to the players. Almost half of the team played after or despite illness. The virus passed through us. But some played the whole match today”, said V. Čeburinas.
“Very difficult match. A very important victory. We have some problems in the team. I want to thank everyone who played, dedicated themselves. Despite having health problems. Everyone gave one hundred percent. I think that such a team victory will give an impulse to go forward”, said G. Matulevičius, who scored the winning goal.
In the first half of the match, “Džiugas” scored the first goal and still had opportunities to score. In the second, it was more successful in extinguishing the opponents’ attacks.
“We also talked before the match that the opponents stop defending against us and play quick counterattacks. Today’s match was no exception. “Džiugo” team has such uniqueness compared to others. They are very much in the mood for such a fight. We let things go a bit too easily… Create three chances in a few minutes. We talked about the need to focus more. Everything consists of small things. The ball was lost, the reaction was not done in time… And then it happens,” assessed V. Čeburinas.
“It wasn’t the first time we fell behind. It’s nice that we changed the result and won. During the break, we talked about the need to be calmer, move the ball faster, move faster without the ball, look for free spaces and finish attacks, – said G. Matulevičius. – There are no easy matches. We played the third game in a week. As I said, there were health ailments in the team. You can’t see that on the field. Glad we won regardless. Every win adds confidence. Let’s prepare, the next match is the most important.”
When asked about Mr. Golubicka’s health and who he is considering to replace him, V. Čeburins answered: “Paulius was already in the locker room today, great guy. He is already like that, he loves football, and football loves him. We have an academy, young people are already training with us. We have good talented guys. Others have been training for a long time. But there are problems – Patrikas Matyžonokas has a microtrauma. Janson and Šetkus just returned from illness. One returned to the team only a week ago, the other a few days ago. Therefore, they are not yet well prepared. We have youth who can complement us. Maybe soon we will see them on the field.”
2024-08-19 21:34:39