The 2018 A Lyga was the 29th season of the A Lyga, the top-tier association football league of Lithuania. The season began on 25 February 2018 and ended on 11 November 2018.
Sūduva Marijampolė began the season as defending champions having won their first league title last year. They secured a second consecutive title in ARVI Football Arena on 7 November, after they beaten Atlantas 6–0.
Teams Clubs and locations
The following teams are competing in the 2018 championship:
Club Location Stadium Turf Capacity 2017 position Klaipėda Central Stadium of Klaipėda Natural 4,428 5th Klaipėda Artificial Football Pitch Artificial 1,000 Jonava Central Stadium of Jonava Natural 1,008 4th Jonava Artificial Football Pitch Artificial 558 Kaunas Darius and Girėnas Stadium Natural 9,180 8th NFA Stadium Artificial 500 Palanga Palanga Stadium Natural 1,212 I Lyga, 1st Klaipėda Klaipėda Artificial Football Pitch Artificial 1,000 Kaunas Darius and Girėnas Stadium Natural 9,180 7th NFA Stadium Artificial 500 Marijampolė ARVI Football Arena Natural 6,250 1st ARVI Football Indoor Arena Artificial 2,660 Vilnius LFF Stadium Artificial 5,067 3rd Sportima Arena Artificial 3,157 Vilnius LFF Stadium Artificial 5,067 2nd Sportima Arena Artificial 3,157
Stadium location
Personnel and kits Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players and Managers may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Team Head coach Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsorAtlantas Vacys Lekevičius (caretaker) Andrius Bartkus Adidas Marijampolės pieno konservaiJonava Artūras Ramoška Tadas Eliošius Laurynas Stonkus Erreà —Kauno Žalgiris Mindaugas Čepas Aurimas Raginis Hummel BC ŽalgirisPalanga Valdas Trakys Gvidas Juška Nike —Stumbras Mariano Barreto Rimvydas Sadauskas Joma —Sūduva Vladimir Cheburin Algis Jankauskas Joma SumedaTrakai Albert Rybak (caretaker) Valdemaras Borovskis Nike EcoilŽalgiris Valdas Urbonas Georgas Freidgeimas Nike Top Sport
Managerial changes Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointmentŽalgiris Aleksandr BrazevichEnd of contract 24 November 2017Pre-season Aurelijus Skarbalius 27 November 2017Jonava Mindaugas Čepas 21 December 2017 Darius Gvildys (caretaker) 21 December 2017Atlantas Igoris PankratjevasMutual consent 5 January 2018 Algimantas Briaunys (caretaker) 5 January 2018Kauno Žalgiris Johnny McKinstry 5 January 2018 Mindaugas Čepas 5 January 2018Jonava Darius Gvildys End of caretaker spell 12 January 2018 Filipe Ribeiro 12 January 2018 Filipe RibeiroSacked 15 May 20188th Darius Gvildys 15 May 2018Trakai Oleg Vasilenko 18 May 20183rd Virmantas Lemežis (caretaker) 18 May 2018Atlantas Algimantas BriaunysEnd of caretaker spell 1 June 20184th Anatoli Shelest 1 June 2018Trakai Virmantas Lemežis 18 June 20183rd Kibu Vicuña 18 June 2018Atlantas Anatoli ShelestSacked 21 June 20185th Algimantas Briaunys (caretaker) 3 August 2018Žalgiris Aurelijus Skarbalius 21 June 20182nd Valdas Urbonas 23 June 2018Jonava Darius Gvildys Mutual consent 12 July 20188th Artūras Ramoška 12 January 2018Atlantas Algimantas Briaunys Resigned 30 August 20186th Tadas Labukas (caretaker) 6 September 2018 Tadas Labukas End of caretaker spell 13 September 2018 Anatoli Shelest 13 September 2018Trakai Kibu Vicuña Signed by Wisła Płock 11 October 20184th Albert Rybak (caretaker) 11 October 2018Atlantas Anatoli Shelest Mutual consent 24 October 20186th Vacys Lekevičius (caretaker) 24 October 2018
Regular season Table
Results
First half of season
Second half of season
Championship round Table
Results
Relegation play-offs The 7th placed team faced the runners-up of the 2018 LFF I Lyga for a two-legged play-off. The winner on aggregate score after both matches earned entry into the 2019 A Lyga.
First leg
Second leg
Palanga won 5–0 on aggregate and therefore both clubs remain in their respective leagues.
Positions by round The table lists the positions of teams after each week of matches. In order to preserve chronological progress, any postponed matches are not included in the round at which they were originally scheduled, but added to the full round they were played immediately afterwards. For example, if a match is scheduled for matchday 13, but then postponed and played between days 16 and 17, it will be added to the standings for day 16.
Leader – Qualification to Champions League first qualifying round Qualification to Europa League first qualifying round Qualification to relegation play-offs Relegation to 2019 I Lyga
Team \ Round1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 Sūduva 111111111111111111111111111111111Žalgiris 122232222222222222222222222222222Trakai 644344333333333333444444443444433Stumbras 777875677767755544333333334333344Kauno Žalgiris 785557788875567776655555555555555Atlantas 333423564444444455566666666666666Palanga 4687864566566766677777778777 Jonava 4566688455888888888888887888 Updated to games played on 11 November 2018
Season statistics
Top scorers Rank Pos. Player Club Goals 1MF Liviu AntalŽalgiris232065902MF Marcos JúniorStumbras1720971243MF Donatas KazlauskasAtlantas/Trakai1217961504FW Ogana LouisŽalgiris1116431505MF Gerson AcevedoSūduva1017191726MF Ovidijus Verbickas918582077FW Sandro Gotal864481FW Tomáš MalecŽalgiris1546194FW Rigino CiciliaSūduva1588199FW Laurynas StonkusJonava2075260 Updated to games played on 11 November 2018
Top assists Rank Pos. Player Club Assists1MF Tomáš ŠimkovičŽalgiris152DF Andro ŠvrljugaSūduva83FW Ogana LouisŽalgiris74MF Lucas VillelaStumbras65MF Kgaogelo Sekgota5MF Serge NyuiadziŽalgirisDF Vaidas SlavickasSūduvaMF Ovidijus Verbickas Updated to games played on 11 November 2018
Clean sheets Rank Player Club Clean sheets 1 Ivan KardumSūduva17332 Džiugas BartkusŽalgiris1221 Tomas ŠvedkauskasTrakai23 Rodrigo JosviakiStumbras305 Martynas MatuzasKauno Žalgiris720 Updated to games played on 11 November 2018
Hat-tricks Player For Against Result Date Ref Tomáš Malec Žalgiris Trakai 3–2 (H) 7 April 2018 Linas Pilibaitis Kauno Žalgiris Atlantas 4–0 (H) 28 August 2018 Liviu Antal Žalgiris Palanga 0–5 (A) 29 August 2018 Marcos Júnior Stumbras Jonava 3–0 (H) 4 October 2018 Liviu Antal Žalgiris Kauno Žalgiris 5–2 (H) 7 November 2018 Sandro Gotal Sūduva Atlantas 6–0 (H) 7 November 2018
Discipline
Player Most yellow cards: 9 Slavko Blagojević (Žalgiris) Most red cards: 2 Linas Klimavičius (Žalgiris)
Club Most yellow cards: 68 Kauno Žalgiris Most red cards: 5 Žalgiris
Attendance
Awards Yearly awards Individual Awards were presented at the Lithuanian Football Awards ceremony, which was held on 21 February 2019. Finalists for voted awards were announced after the season and winners were presented at the award ceremony.
+ 2018 A Lyga awards Award Recipient(s) Player of the Year Ovidijus Verbickas (Sūduva) Young Player of the Year Justinas Marazas (Trakai) Manager of the Year Vladimir Cheburin (Sūduva) Golden Boot Liviu Antal (Žalgiris)
Team of the Year Goalkeeper Defenders Midfielders Forwards Rf Kardum (Sūduva) Slijngard (Žalgiris) Tomić (Žalgiris) Jankauskas (Sūduva) Švrljuga (Sūduva) Kazlauskas (Atlantas/Trakai) Offenbacher (Sūduva) Šimkovič (Žalgiris) Júnior (Stumbras) Antal (Žalgiris) Ogana (Žalgiris)
Monthly awards Individual
Player of the Month Month Player Stats RfMarch 4GP, 3G, 1AApril 5GP, 5GMay 5GP, 4G, 1AJune & July 3GP, 2GAugust 3GP, 7G, 1ASeptember & October 9GP, 4G, 4A
Young Player of the Month Month Player Stats RfMarchWasn't announcedApril 5GP, 3GMay 5GP, 1G, 2AJune & July 4GP, 1GAugust 5GP, 1ASeptember & October 4GP, 1A
Coach of the Month Month Player Win % RfMarch 4GP, 75%April 5GP, 80%May 5GP, 80%June & July 3GP, 100%August 3GP, 100%September & October 10GP, 70%
Team of the Month
+ Team of the Month Month Goalkeeper Defenders Midfielders Forwards March Bartkus (Žalgiris) Slavickas (Sūduva) Klimavičius (Žalgiris) Artimavičius (Atlantas) Baravykas (Žalgiris) Veliulis (Jonava) Šimkovič (Žalgiris) Vorobjovas (Trakai) Švrljuga (Sūduva) Laukžemis (Sūduva) Acevedo (Sūduva) April Kardum (Sūduva) Nazaré (Stumbras) Jankauskas (Sūduva) Januševskij (Trakai) Švrljuga (Sūduva) Koç (Atlantas) Zasavițchi (Jonava) Verbickas (Sūduva) Antal (Žalgiris) Mukanya (Trakai) Juška (Palanga) May Mikelionis (Kauno Žalgiris) Mikoliūnas (Žalgiris) Snapkauskas (Kauno Žalgiris) Kerla (Sūduva) Švrljuga (Sūduva) Sekgota (Stumbras) N'Diaye (Sūduva) Šimkovič (Žalgiris) Urbys (Palanga) Tadić (Sūduva) Antal (Žalgiris) June&July Bartkus (Žalgiris) Nazaré (Stumbras) Almeida (Stumbras) Sadauskas (Stumbras) Švrljuga (Sūduva) Antal (Žalgiris) Pilibaitis (Kauno Žalgiris) Cá (Stumbras) Kloniūnas (Kauno Žalgiris) Júnior (Stumbras) Cicilia (Sūduva) August Bartkus (Žalgiris) Slijngard (Žalgiris) Osipov (Trakai) Mbodj (Žalgiris) Baravykas (Žalgiris) Kazlauskas (Trakai) Pilibaitis (Kauno Žalgiris Antal (Žalgiris) Júnior (Stumbras) Thuique (Jonava) Ogana (Žalgiris) September&October Švedkauskas (Trakai) Floro (Stumbras) Jankauskas (Sūduva) Mbodj (Žalgiris) Švrljuga (Sūduva) Sirgėdas (Kauno Žalgiris) Offenbacher (Sūduva Šimkovič (Žalgiris) Júnior (Stumbras) Gotal (Sūduva) Ogana (Žalgiris)
Multiple appearances Player Club App Andro Švrljuga Sūduva 4 Liviu Antal Žalgiris Džiugas Bartkus 3 Tomáš Šimkovič Marcos Júnior Stumbras Jardel Nazaré 2 Rolandas Baravykas Žalgiris Linas Pilibaitis Kauno Žalgiris Algis Jankauskas Sūduva Mamadou Mbodj Žalgiris Ogana Louis
Notes
References
External links