The 2019 A Lyga was the 30th season of the A Lyga, the top-tier association football league of Lithuania. The season began on 2 March 2019 and ended on 27 November 2019.
Sūduva Marijampolė began the season as defending champions having won their second consecutive league title last year. They secured a third consecutive title in Aukštaitija Stadium on 3 November, after they beat Panevėžys 5–1.
Only five league clubs survived throughout the year – Stumbras folded in the summer, while Atlantas and Palanga were disqualified in the off-season.
Teams Eight clubs competed – the top six of the 2018 season, the winner of the relegation play-offs and the champions of the 2018 LFF I Lyga. Palanga remained in the league having won the play-offs, while Panevėžys made their top-tier debut replacing relegated Jonava.
Trakai changed their name to Riteriai during the preseason, for a better identification with Vilnius, where the main team has been located since 2014.
Stumbras bankruptcy In 2019 Stumbras started the season very well by winning against FK Sūduva Marijampolė and FK Žalgiris Vilnius, claiming the top position of the 2019 A Lyga table. However, after the first half of the season the club ran into financial problems. The players and staff started leaving the team. The club was stripped of the place in 2019–20 UEFA Europa League and it's A Lyga license revoked. The club became defunct shortly afterwards.
Match fixing scandal On 5 December 2019, the Lithuanian Football Federation announce that two A Lyga clubs, FK Atlantas Klaipėda and FK Palanga have been excluded from the A Lyga due to manipulation of the match results, fined 42,000 euros and relegated to the II Lyga. Ten players and one staff were punished with fines and a ban from all football activity ranging from 6 to 12 months.
Clubs and locations
The following teams competed in the 2019 championship:
Club Location Stadium Turf Capacity 2018 position Klaipėda Central Stadium of Klaipėda Natural 4,428 6th Klaipėda Artificial Football Pitch Artificial 1,000 Kaunas SM Tauras Stadium Natural 500 5th NFA Stadium Artificial 500 Palanga Palanga Stadium Natural 1,212 7th Klaipėda Klaipėda Artificial Football Pitch Artificial 1,000 Panevėžys Aukštaitija Stadium Natural 6,600 I Lyga, 1st Žemyna Progymnasium Stadium Artificial 500 Vilnius LFF Stadium Artificial 5,067 3rd Sportima Arena Artificial 3,157 Kaunas NFA Stadium Artificial 500 4th Marijampolė ARVI Football Arena Natural 6,250 1st ARVI Football Indoor Arena Artificial 2,660 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 Viktors Dobrecovs Darvydas Šernas Nike —Kauno Žalgiris Mindaugas Čepas Linas Pilibaitis Hummel BC ŽalgirisPalanga Artyom Gorlov Gvidas Juška Nike 011Panevėžys Alexandru Curteian Paulius Janušauskas Hummel KalnapilisRiteriai Aurelijus Skarbalius Valdemaras Borovskis Nike EcoilStumbras João Luís Martins Rimvydas Sadauskas Joma —Sūduva Vladimir Cheburin Algis Jankauskas Joma SumedaŽalgiris João Luís Martins Saulius Mikoliūnas Nike Top Sport
Managerial changes Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointmentAtlantas Vacys LekevičiusEnd of caretaker spell 11 November 2018Pre-season Viktors Dobrecovs 16 February 2019Riteriai Albert Rybak 21 December 2018 Aurelijus Skarbalius 21 December 2018Palanga Valdas TrakysMutual consent 2 January 2019 Artyom Gorlov 29 January 2019Stumbras Mariano Barreto 31 January 2019 João Luís Martins 22 February 2019Žalgiris Valdas Urbonas Signed by Lithuania national team 2 February 2019 Marek Zub 13 February 2019
Regular season Table
Results
First half of season
Second half of season
Championship round Table
Results
Relegation play-offs The 7th placed team will face the runners-up of the 2019 LFF I Lyga for a two-legged play-off. The winner on aggregate score after both matches will earn entry into the 2020 A Lyga.
First leg
Second leg
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 2020 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 321333222111111111222222111111111Žalgiris 112112111222222222111111222222222Riteriai 566555555444433333333444333343333Kauno Žalgiris 755444433333344444444333444434444Panevėžys 677788888887776655555555555555555Atlantas 244676777666667766666666666666666Palanga 8888676667788888888888888777 Stumbras 4332213445555555777777777888 Updated to games played on 9 November 2019
Season statistics
Top scorers Rank Pos. Player Club Goals 1FW Tomislav KišŽalgiris2727121002 Mihret TopčagićSūduva20148274 Terem MoffiRiteriai25901294MF Liviu AntalŽalgiris1521351425 Donatas KazlauskasRiteriai1224502046FW João FigueiredoKauno Žalgiris101484149 Josip TadićSūduva12241228 Eligijus Jankauskas911341269 Tosaint Ricketts8913115MF Paulius Golubickas2054257 Updated at the end of the season
Hat-tricks Player For Against Result Date Ref João Figueiredo Kauno Žalgiris Palanga 6–1 (H) 9 March 2019 Edvinas Kloniūnas Riteriai 3–1 (H) 13 April 2019 Mihret Topčagić Sūduva Kauno Žalgiris 3–0 (H) 3 July 2019 Tomislav Kiš Žalgiris Palanga 4–0 (A) 31 August 2019 Terem Moffi Riteriai 3–1 (A) 25 September 2019 Mihret Topčagić5 Sūduva Atlantas 9–1 (H) 30 October 2019
Notes 5 Player scored 5 goals
Attendance
Awards Monthly awards Individual
Player of the Month Month Player Stats RfMarch 4GP, 5G, 1AApril 4GP, 3G, 1AMay 4GP, 4CS, 0GAJune & July 5GP, 6G, 1AAugust 3GP, 5G, 3ASeptember 3GP, 5G, 2AOctober 7GP, 8G, 2ANovember 4GP, 6G, 3A
Young Player of the Month Month Player Stats RfMarch 4GP, 2G, 2AApril 5GP, 3G, 1AMay 4GP, 1G, 2AJune & July 4GP, 3GAugust 3GP, 3G, 1ASeptember 3GP, 2G, 1AOctober 4GP, 3G, 1ANovember 4GP, 6G, 3A
Coach of the Month Month Manager Win % RfMarch 4GP, 75%April May 4GP, 100%June & July August 5GP, 80%September 4GP, 100%October 7GP, 100%November 4GP, 75%
Team of the Month
+ Team of the Month Month Goalkeeper Defenders Midfielders Forwards March Josviaki (Stumbras) Alonso (Stumbras) Živanović (Sūduva) Sadauskas (Stumbras) Baravykas (Žalgiris) Morer (Žalgiris) Golubickas (Sūduva) Pérez (Žalgiris) Macharashvili (Stumbras) Umayev (Palanga) Kiš (Žalgiris) April Vitkauskas (Žalgiris) Bushman (Kauno Žalgiris) Živanović (Sūduva) Mikuckis (Kauno Žalgiris) Šešplaukis (Kauno Žalgiris) Morer (Žalgiris) Vorobjovas (Žalgiris) Kiš (Žalgiris) Umayev (Palanga) Figueiredo (Kauno Žalgiris) Jankauskas (Sūduva) May Kardum (Sūduva) Bushman (Kauno Žalgiris) Kruk (Panevėžys) Kerla (Sūduva) Borovskis (Riteriai) Kazlauskas (Riteriai) Jeriomenka (Riteriai) Golubickas (Sūduva) Švrljuga (Sūduva) Moffi (Riteriai) Kiš (Žalgiris) June&July Švedkauskas (Riteriai) Slijngard (Žalgiris) Kerla (Sūduva) Švrljuga (Sūduva) Kazlauskas (Riteriai) Čađenović (Sūduva) Vorobjovas (Žalgiris) Antal (Žalgiris) Ledesma (Panevėžys) Topčagić (Sūduva) Moffi (Riteriai) August Broetto (Panevėžys) Bushman (Kauno Žalgiris) Bolha (Žalgiris) Gašpuitis (Panevėžys) Uzėla (Žalgiris) Šernas (Atlantas) Eliošius (Panevėžys) Kiš (Žalgiris) Romanovskij (Kauno Žalgiris) Vásquez (Panevėžys) Antal (Žalgiris) September&October Kardum (Sūduva) Bushman (Kauno Žalgiris) Živanović (Sūduva) Kerla (Sūduva) Švrljuga (Sūduva) Kazlauskas (Riteriai) Pilibaitis (Kauno Žalgiris) Golubickas (Sūduva) Jankauskas (Sūduva) Topčagić (Sūduva) Kiš (Žalgiris) November Kardum (Sūduva) Živanović (Sūduva) Januševskij (Riteriai) Rudinilson (Kauno Žalgiris) Kazlauskas (Riteriai) Janušauskas (Panevėžys) Oliveira (Sūduva) Grigaravičius (Riteriai) Bordon (Panevėžys) Tadić (Sūduva) Moffi (Riteriai)
Multiple appearances Player Club App Tomislav Kiš Žalgiris 5 Yuriy Bushman Kauno Žalgiris 4 Aleksandar Živanović Sūduva Donatas Kazlauskas Riteriai Paulius Golubickas Sūduva 3 Semir Kerla Andro Švrljuga Ivan Kardum Terem Moffi Riteriai Pau Morer Žalgiris 2 Idris Umayev Palanga Modestas Vorobjovas Žalgiris Liviu Antal Eligijus Jankauskas Sūduva Mihret Topčagić
References
External links