PITTAS FIRES CYPRUS PAST LITHUANIA

Cyprus opened up their 2024-2025 UEFA Nations League campaign with three points, courtesy of a 1-0 win away to Lithuania. Ioannis Pittas made the difference with a goal, and with conservative play, a clutch save, and a little bit of luck, Cyprus were able to hang on. Cyprus have now beaten Lithuania four of the five times they have played, and in a rarity have now won two matches in a row. This was also Joel Mall’s first ever clean sheet for Cyprus. Cyprus next play on Monday at home to Kosovo in Larnaca.

Cyprus visited Lithuania at the Darius ir Gireno Stadionus in Kaunas. Lithuania got off to the better start in the opening minutes. A Lithuanian corner found Kipras Kazukolovas for a free header, but Danilo Spoljaric came to the rescue with a block. Seconds later, a chance fell for Pijus Sirvys, but he didn’t have much time and put it wide. Another cross found Armandas Kucys, whose powerful header grazed the outside of the post.

Against the run of play, it was Cyprus who broke through first. Grigoris Kastanos played a through ball for Marinos Tzionis. Sirvys wiped out trying to stop the original pass from Kastanos, which allowed Tzionis ample time to set Ioannis Pittas up for an easy finish, and Pittas did just that, beating Edvinas Gertmonas from in close to give Cyprus the 1-0 advantage in the 34^th minute, which they took into halftime.

Lithuania kept knocking, and they finally got a shot on target, but Artur Dolznikov’s effort was right at Joel Mall. Tzionis had to win a physical battle to get a shot off at the other end, but Gertmonas was there to thwart that attempt. Kucys had Dolznikov set up for a tap-in, and only a risky challenge from Giorgos Malekkidis broke it up, but Malekkidis got it right, and got ball first, confirmed by VAR. Kucys had a go from outside the box, but it was once again no threat to Mall. Then Gertmonas had to deny Alex Gogic looking for an insurance marker.

As the PA Announcer was announcing the amount of stoppage time, a series of bounces left Kucys with a point-blank chance, and that’s where Mall kicked out his right leg and made a heroic save that preserved the victory.

Lithuania(Edgardas Jankauskas): Edvinas Gertmonas(GK), 17. Pijus Sirvys(’70 9. Gytis Paulauskas), 5. Kipras Kazukolovas, 4. Edvinas Girdvainis, 3. Artemijus Tutyskinas, 13. Justas Lasickas(Captain), 14. Vykintas Slivka, 6. Modestas Vorobjovas(’86 19. Valdas Paulauskas), 8. Giedrius Matulevicius(’61 10. Tomas Kalinauskas), 23. Artur Dolznikov(’86 18. Ovidijus Verbickas), 11. Armandas Kucys

Cyprus(Timur Ketsbaia): 1. Joel Mall(GK), 3. Hector Kyprianou(’46 14. Giorgos Malekkidis) , 6. Alex Gogic, 2. Andreas Karo, 4. Nikolas Ioannou, 18. Kostakis Artymatas(Captain), 15. Danilo Spoljaric(’65 12. Andreas Chrysostomou), 20. Grigoris Kastanos, 5. Andreas Panayiotou Filiotis(’46 16. Stelios Andreou), 21. Marinos Tzionis(’89 7. Anderson Correia), 9. Ioannis Pittas(‘90+2 19. Kostas Laifis)

Andrew Mantzas

Twitter: @MantzasNC