Panevezys claimed a 2-0 victory away to TransInvest Vilnius in the A Lyga's 26th round on Sunday. The result lifted the visitors clear of the relegation zone while the hosts slipped further from European contention.
And here's the thing about this one — TransInvest Vilnius had the ball more but couldn't do anything with it. By then you could see the home side pressing high up the pitch, but the away defence held firm. Panevezys let the game flow into spaces behind, and that's where things came to a head.
It was M. Bacanin who opened the scoring just after the break, the 46th minute finding him in the right place. The home side threw bodies forward after that, handing a debut to B. Tavares in the 56th minute, then bringing on M. van den Bos before doubling up with D. Barauskas and N. Petkevicius. They were reduced to fewer options but still couldn't find the net.
To be fair, the statistics tell a different story. TransInvest Vilnius dominated possession at 58 per cent and registered 64 attacks compared to Panevezys's 55. The home side had 10 shots off target and 4 on target, while the visitors managed 5 shots on target from just 1 corner. One goal from five attempts on target is efficiency you can't argue with.
The result leaves TransInvest Vilnius in fourth place with 39 points from 26 games, while Panevezys sit seventh with 32 points after 27 matches. The visitors have one foot in the next round of whatever comes next, and the hosts will need to find answers quickly.