Žalgiris edge past Šiauliai in semi-final thriller
Kaunas Žalgiris clinched their place in the Cup final with a 1-0 victory over Šiauliai in the semi-finals on Wednesday. The Lithuanian side held firm after their 55th-minute breakthrough, weathering a determined Šiauliai response to book their ticket to the last four.
The decisive moment arrived in the 55th minute when Žalgiris broke through the home side's resistance. Šiauliai pushed for an equaliser with growing urgency, but their frustration showed in two yellow cards — one in the 57th minute and another eight minutes later.
The statistics told a story of Šiauliai chasing the game. They managed 45 per cent possession and launched 85 attacks, but could only muster four shots off target against one on target. Žalgiris, by contrast, were more clinical with ten shots on target and eight corners.
Šiauliai's recent form offered little encouragement before this encounter. They had won just one of their previous five matches, losing three and drawing once, including heavy defeats against Suduva Marijampolė and Transinvest Vilnius.
Žalgiris arrived with their own mixed results — a draw against Banga, a win over Besiktas, and losses to the Turkish side and Dinamo Zagreb. This result extends their unbeaten run and sends them into the final with momentum despite not dominating possession.
