Goal series continued by L. Antalis: 'The support from fans pushed me forward'

2025-10-28 08:39 © E. Žaldario

After the triumphant return of "Žalgiris," coach Rolandas Džiaukštas and forward Liviu Antalis spoke about the fantastic atmosphere and a very important victory.

The Vilnius team defeated the "Šiauliai" team 1:0 at home and earned their 6th victory in 7 matches.

"It is indeed a very important victory. It feels great to win, not concede, and score a goal," said Žalgiris coach Rolandas Džiaukštas after the match. "We probably haven't played in such a fantastic environment for a long time. Thanks to all the fans. It was really an interesting duel where both teams could have scored, but we scored, and they did not - that’s why it’s a victory, so it's very nice. It feels great to rise to that third place. It is always harder to maintain than to achieve - that’s natural. We must not look back; we must look forward."

"A very important victory. We are fighting for medals, so this was really important for us. Today we saw a team that fights, that gives 100 percent on the field, fighting for each other. The support from the fans pushed us forward - thank you to them," said L. Antalis.

The Romanian emphasized that such an atmosphere is essential for all of Lithuanian football: "I would like to have such an atmosphere in every match - not just in Žalgiris, but elsewhere too. Lithuanian football needs this. This way we can all rise higher as a sport."

The strategist emphasized that the team had to be prepared for the opponents' quick counter-attacks, but they struggled to stop them at first: "We were prepared for such things. At the beginning, the players were not yet in the required gear, so the opponents managed to escape, but later we sorted everything out. There were counter-attacks, but there were significantly fewer."

At the start of the match, the Vilnius team had several chances, but they could not capitalize on them, even facing empty goals. "We should utilize such chances. Such situations occur, but the most important thing is that we took one chance and defended well. We wanted to keep a clean sheet today because we had been conceding a goal in previous matches," said the coach.

L. Antalis scored in 7 consecutive matches. "It’s also the team's achievement. Without the team, I wouldn't be able to play like this. Thanks to the team, thanks to everyone. I hope we continue this - there are still two matches left that are very important for 'Žalgiris'," noted the forward.

In recent weeks, L. Antalis has surpassed 100 goals, while J. Kendyš has played 150 matches. According to the coach, both veterans still play significant roles both on and off the field. "They are team leaders, and their role is undeniably very important in the team. They act as my assistants within the team. It’s great that they help maintain that microclimate in the locker room and on the field."

Žalgiris will play their next match at home against Kauno rajono "Hegelmann" on October 31.