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“From the beginning, from the beginning” – the shouts of the footballers of the Knights, and above all – the goalkeeper Tadas Simitis, were heard in the empty but rain-soaked LFF stadium.
Before the coronavirus threat was released, A-League battles were resumed under unusual conditions.
The stands of the LFF stadium were left empty this time, not because of the rain or the low interest of residents of the capital in soccer, but because of the ban on fans entering the stadium. It is true that it will disappear in a few days: from June 1, up to 300 people will be able to watch League A games, and even when it rains and the doors of the LFF stadium close, a group of curious people have found a way to see sports passions that have returned after a long break.
Julius Kalinskas / 15min / Vilnius Derby Photo: “Žalgiris” – “Caballeros”
“Illegal” fans lost their temperature gauge, which was done by media representatives from the LFF stadium on Saturday afternoon and footballers from both teams.
The unusual image followed just before the meeting, when the teams had to radically change their usual routine.
Instead of going to the stadium together, this time the soccer players from “Žalgiris” and “Riteriai” walked separately on the grass of the LFF stadium, which changed during the quarantine period.
Just before the match, there was no traditional coin toss and referee handshakes, until the referee whistled, soccer players from both Vilnius clubs followed the rules of social distance in exemplary fashion.
It is true that footballers at least did not have to wear masks, which was mandatory for footballers and reserve coaches.
The latter fought extremely “fiercely” with the masks: both the “Žalgiris” strategist Aliaksejus Baga and the “Knights” helmsman Mindaugas Čepas repeatedly pushed the mask down, but at intervals and completely forgot about the detail of the clothing that it hung from the chin.
Julius Kalinskas / 15min / Vilnius Derby Photo: “Žalgiris” – “Caballeros”
“I felt like when I’m in a mask, the players can’t hear me,” laughed M.Čepas, who celebrated the victory after the game, and his screams had to be heard even far from the LFF stadium. After one of the responses to the referee, the strategist even saw a yellow card in front of him. – When trying to pass something to the players, I took off my mask. At one point, maybe I even forgot. In addition, the judge also had a couple of responses (smiles). “
I felt that when I’m in a mask, the players don’t listen to me.
Although the masks teams did not have to wear eleven, the footballers also had to follow unusual rules.
When the referee saw the cut, he was threatened with a warning, and for the second situation, even a yellow card.
Knights players can be happy at least that, unlike in Germany, where they are encouraged to avoid any unnecessary contact, Lithuania was not prohibited from celebrating the goal together.
Then, after a big blow to the head from Justin Maraz in the first half, the Knights began to enjoy the goal by embracing and forgetting the rules of quarantine football for at least a few seconds.
“Kaustė just doesn’t know how we will look after such a long period of time,” M. Čepas emphasized fear of a poor team form, not a virus. – The training sessions are training sessions, but we don’t even play a control game. Here was the question of how we would immediately see ourselves in an official match. Oh, that the boys will dedicate themselves, they will stick to the plan, I had no doubts. “
The workouts are workouts, but we don’t even play a control game.
His students started the game a little confused: during the first minutes on the field, the people of Žalgiris felt more comfortable, and they had another opportunity to go out.
However, the excitement of the Knights was removed from the shoulders by an unexpected goal reached in the 20th minute after Alexander Levšino’s foray and the fantastic jump of Justinas Marazo and the head of the shot.
“There was a little bit of tension at the beginning, because it’s been a long time since we suddenly” finished “the championship.” But in the course of the match, that emotion passed and I saw the team that I want to see more or less, – said M. Čepas. – We won against a strong team that played well, created its moments. We had our own game plan, which we tried to follow and for which, using one of the accents we had agreed upon before the match, we scored a goal.
We must maintain quality, dedication, concentration. Another happy moment in which we did not lose the goal “.
Julius Kalinskas / 15min / Vilnius Derby Photo: “Žalgiris” – “Caballeros”
The victory achieved by sweetness was added by the fact that the Knights competed in an exclusively Lithuanian lineup: all 11 players were Lithuanians in the starting eleven and only in the second half did the Brazilian Michael Thuique and Lajo Traore of Ivory Coast rise up. from the bank.
“We are moving towards Lithuania, so that there are as many Lithuanians as possible, as many young players as possible.” It is necessary to give them self-realization, integrate them into adult soccer. This is one of the philosophies of the club, “emphasized the helmsman of the Knights after the victorious game.
We are moving towards lithuania.
M.Čepas also paid an exclusive tribute to Tadas Simaičius, the keeper of the Knights, who became a true hero of the match in the closing minutes of the match and “pulled out” many dangerous blows from Žalgiris.
“There is a match when a player, with his individual dominance, popularly” attracts “a team. Today, Tadas also expressed himself in this way”, M. Čepas thanked briefly but eloquently for his goalkeeper.
The coach gave his players additional tactical information during the break, and after that, FC had a solid organization.
Julius Kalinskas / 15min / Vilnius Derby Photo: “Žalgiris” – “Caballeros”
“The derby in the capital has always gathered a large audience on the Lithuanian scale. This is the accent we play for: the spectators, the fans, having emotions, the passion, the spectators, the moments of goal. We are working for the fans, “emphasized M. Čepas.
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