2019 A Lyga
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| Season | 2019 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Sūduva |
| Relegated | Atlantas Palanga Stumbras |
| Champions League | Sūduva |
| Europa League | Žalgiris Riteriai Kauno Žalgiris |
| Matches | 127 |
| Goals | 405 (3.19 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Tomislav Kiš (27 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Sūduva 9–1 Atlantas (30 October 2019) |
| Biggest away win | Atlantas 0–5 Sūduva (10 March 2019) Panevėžys 2–7 Sūduva (24 September 2019) |
| Highest scoring | Sūduva 9–1 Atlantas (30 October 2019) |
| Longest winning run | 16 games Sūduva |
| Longest unbeaten run | 16 games Sūduva |
| Longest winless run | 22 games Stumbras |
| Longest losing run | 18 games Stumbras |
| Highest attendance | 2,500 Žalgiris v Sūduva (20 October 2019) |
| Lowest attendance | 50 Palanga v Sūduva (20 April 2019) |
| Total attendance | 52,357 |
| Average attendance | 468 |
← 2018 2020 →
All statistics correct as of 1 December. | |
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.[1]
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.
Stumbras bankruptcy
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.[2]
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantas | Klaipėda | Central Stadium of Klaipėda | Natural | 4,428 | 6th |
| Klaipėda Artificial Football Pitch | Artificial | 1,000 | |||
| Kauno Žalgiris | Kaunas | SM Tauras Stadium | Natural | 500 | 5th |
| NFA Stadium | Artificial | 500 | |||
| Palanga | Palanga | Palanga Stadium | Natural | 1,212 | 7th |
| KlaipėdaSL | Klaipėda Artificial Football Pitch | Artificial | 1,000 | ||
| Panevėžys | Panevėžys | Aukštaitija Stadium | Natural | 6,600 | I Lyga, 1st |
| Žemyna Progymnasium Stadium | Artificial | 500 | |||
| Riteriai | Vilnius | LFF Stadium | Artificial | 5,067 | 3rd |
| Sportima Arena | Artificial | 3,157 | |||
| Stumbras | Kaunas | NFA Stadium | Artificial | 500 | 4th |
| Sūduva | Marijampolė | ARVI Football Arena | Natural | 6,250 | 1st |
| ARVI Football Indoor Arena | Artificial | 2,660 | |||
| Žalgiris | 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 sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantas |  Viktors Dobrecovs |
 Darvydas Šernas[3] |
Nike[3] | — |
| Kauno Žalgiris | Mindaugas Čepas |
Linas Pilibaitis[4] |
Hummel | BC Žalgiris |
| Palanga |  Artyom Gorlov |
Gvidas Juška |
Nike | 011[5] |
| Panevėžys |  Alexandru Curteian |
Paulius Janušauskas |
Hummel[6] | Kalnapilis |
| Riteriai | Aurelijus Skarbalius |
Valdemaras Borovskis |
Nike | Ecoil |
| Stumbras |  João Luís Martins |
Rimvydas Sadauskas |
Joma | — |
| Sūduva |  Vladimir Cheburin |
Algis Jankauskas |
Joma | Sumeda |
| Žalgiris | João Luís Martins |
Saulius Mikoliūnas[7] |
Nike | Top Sport |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantas | Vacys Lekevičius |
End of caretaker spell | 11 November 2018[8] | Pre-season | Viktors Dobrecovs |
16 February 2019[9] |
| Riteriai |  Albert Rybak |
21 December 2018[10] | Aurelijus Skarbalius |
21 December 2018[10] | ||
| Palanga | Valdas Trakys |
Mutual consent | 2 January 2019[11] | Artyom Gorlov |
29 January 2019[12] | |
| Stumbras | Mariano Barreto |
31 January 2019[13] | João Luís Martins |
22 February 2019[14] | ||
| Žalgiris | Valdas Urbonas |
Signed by Lithuania national team | 2 February 2019[15] |  Marek Zub |
13 February 2019[16] |
Regular season
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sūduva | 28 | 25 | 0 | 3 | 74 | 15 | +59 | 75 | Qualification to Championship round |
| 2 | Žalgiris | 28 | 21 | 2 | 5 | 67 | 22 | +45 | 65 | |
| 3 | Riteriai | 28 | 13 | 7 | 8 | 44 | 29 | +15 | 46 | |
| 4 | Kauno Žalgiris | 28 | 13 | 5 | 10 | 48 | 39 | +9 | 44 | |
| 5 | Panevėžys | 28 | 8 | 7 | 13 | 41 | 53 | −12 | 31 | |
| 6 | Atlantas | 28 | 7 | 5 | 16 | 26 | 53 | −27 | 26 | |
| 7 | Palanga (D, R) | 28 | 6 | 1 | 21 | 29 | 70 | −41 | 19 | Qualification to Relegation play-offs and disqualified after the season |
| 8 | Stumbras (D, R) | 28 | 4 | 3 | 21 | 12 | 60 | −48 | 15 | Withdrew mid-season in 30 July 2019 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Head-to-head matches won; 6) Goal difference; 7) Goals scored; 8) Matches won.[17]
(D) Disqualified; (R) Relegated
Results
First half of season |
Second half of season
|
Championship round
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sūduva (C) | 33 | 29 | 0 | 4 | 95 | 24 | +71 | 87 | Qualification to Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | Žalgiris | 33 | 24 | 2 | 7 | 79 | 29 | +50 | 74 | Qualification to Europa League first qualifying round |
| 3 | Riteriai | 33 | 16 | 7 | 10 | 57 | 36 | +21 | 55 | |
| 4 | Kauno Žalgiris | 33 | 16 | 5 | 12 | 54 | 45 | +9 | 53 | |
| 5 | Panevėžys | 33 | 10 | 7 | 16 | 49 | 63 | −14 | 37 | |
| 6 | Atlantas (D, R) | 33 | 7 | 5 | 21 | 30 | 78 | −48 | 26 | Relegation to 2020 II Lyga |
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
| Palanga | 2–2 | Banga |
|---|---|---|
Sergei Mošnikov  66' Josip Jurjević 75' |
Report | 45' Jonas Bičkus 90+3' Jonas Bičkus |
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 \ Round | 1 | 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 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Žalgiris | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Riteriai | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Kauno Žalgiris | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Panevėžys | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Atlantas | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Palanga | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | |||||
| Stumbras | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
Updated to games played on 9 November 2019
Season statistics
Top scorers
Updated at the end of the season |
Hat-tricks
5 Player scored 5 goals |
Attendance
| Pos | Team | Total | High | Low | Average | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sūduva | 16,325 | 2,100 | 500 | 1,089 | +10.6% |
| 2 | Žalgiris | 10,115 | 2,500 | 165 | 675 | +8.9% |
| 3 | Panevėžys | 8,800 | 1,100 | 250 | 629 | +19.6%1 |
| 4 | Stumbras | 1,857 | 500 | 100 | 310 | +63.2% |
| 5 | Kauno Žalgiris | 4,095 | 500 | 150 | 293 | +63.7% |
| 6 | Atlantas | 3,845 | 500 | 75 | 275 | +6.6% |
| 7 | Riteriai | 3,720 | 400 | 70 | 248 | −20.0% |
| 8 | Palanga | 2,415 | 400 | 50 | 186 | −12.7% |
| League total | 51,172 | 2,500 | 50 | 483 | +21.1% |
Updated to games played on 9 November 2019
Source: A Lyga, Lietuvos Futbolas
Notes:
1: Team played last season in the I Lyga
