# 2019 A Lyga

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 |
| Atlantas | Klaipėda | Central Stadium of Klaipėda | Natural | 4,428 | 6th |
| Atlantas | Klaipėda | Klaipėda Artificial Football Pitch | Artificial | 1,000 | 6th |
| Kauno Žalgiris | Kaunas | SM Tauras Stadium | Natural | 500 | 5th |
| Kauno Žalgiris | Kaunas | NFA Stadium | Artificial | 500 | 5th |
| Palanga | Palanga | Palanga Stadium | Natural | 1,212 | 7th |
| Palanga | Klaipėda | Klaipėda Artificial Football Pitch | Artificial | 1,000 | 7th |
| Panevėžys | Panevėžys | Aukštaitija Stadium | Natural | 6,600 | I Lyga, 1st |
| Panevėžys | Panevėžys | Žemyna Progymnasium Stadium | Artificial | 500 | I Lyga, 1st |
| Riteriai | Vilnius | LFF Stadium | Artificial | 5,067 | 3rd |
| Riteriai | Vilnius | Sportima Arena | Artificial | 3,157 | 3rd |
| Stumbras | Kaunas | NFA Stadium | Artificial | 500 | 4th |
| Sūduva | Marijampolė | ARVI Football Arena | Natural | 6,250 | 1st |
| Sūduva | Marijampolė | ARVI Football Indoor Arena | Artificial | 2,660 | 1st |
| Žalgiris | Vilnius | LFF Stadium | Artificial | 5,067 | 2nd |
| Žalgiris | Vilnius | Sportima Arena | Artificial | 3,157 | 2nd |
^ 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 | Nike | — |
| Kauno Žalgiris | Mindaugas Čepas | Linas Pilibaitis | Hummel | BC Žalgiris |
| Palanga | Artyom Gorlov | Gvidas Juška | Nike | 011 |
| Panevėžys | Alexandru Curteian | Paulius Janušauskas | Hummel | 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 | 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 | Pre-season | Viktors Dobrecovs | 16 February 2019 |
| Riteriai | Albert Rybak | End of caretaker spell | 21 December 2018 | Pre-season | Aurelijus Skarbalius | 21 December 2018 |
| Palanga | Valdas Trakys | Mutual consent | 2 January 2019 | Pre-season | Artyom Gorlov | 29 January 2019 |
| Stumbras | Mariano Barreto | Mutual consent | 31 January 2019 | Pre-season | João Luís Martins | 22 February 2019 |
| Žalgiris | Valdas Urbonas | Signed by Lithuania national team | 2 February 2019 | Pre-season | Marek Zub | 13 February 2019 |

## 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 | Qualification to Championship round |
| 3 | Riteriai | 28 | 13 | 7 | 8 | 44 | 29 | +15 | 46 | Qualification to Championship round |
| 4 | Kauno Žalgiris | 28 | 13 | 5 | 10 | 48 | 39 | +9 | 44 | Qualification to Championship round |
| 5 | Panevėžys | 28 | 8 | 7 | 13 | 41 | 53 | −12 | 31 | Qualification to Championship round |
| 6 | Atlantas | 28 | 7 | 5 | 16 | 26 | 53 | −27 | 26 | Qualification to Championship round |
| 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 |

### Results
## 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 | Qualification to Europa League first qualifying round |
| 4 | Kauno Žalgiris | 33 | 16 | 5 | 12 | 54 | 45 | +9 | 53 | Qualification to Europa League first qualifying round |
| 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

| Home \ Away | ATL | KŽA | PAN | RIT | SUD | ZAL |
| Atlantas | — | 0–2 | 1–4 | | | |
| Kauno Žalgiris | | — | 1–0 | | | 1–2 |
| Panevėžys | | | — | 2–0 | 1–5 | |
| Riteriai | 5–2 | 0–1 | | — | 5–1 | |
| Sūduva | 9–1 | 4–1 | | | — | 2–1 |
| Žalgiris | 5–0 | | 3–1 | 1–3 | | — |

## 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.

### 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 \ 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

## 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

## Awards
### Monthly awards
#### Individual

Player of the Month :
| Month | Player | Stats |
| March | Tomislav Kiš (Žalgiris) | 4GP, 5G, 1A |
| April | Pau Morer (Žalgiris) | 4GP, 3G, 1A |
| May | Ivan Kardum (Sūduva) | 4GP, 4CS, 0GA |
| June & July | Mihret Topčagić (Sūduva) | 5GP, 6G, 1A |
| August | Tomislav Kiš (Žalgiris) | 3GP, 5G, 3A |
| September | Tomislav Kiš (Žalgiris) | 3GP, 5G, 2A |
| October | Mihret Topčagić (Sūduva) | 7GP, 8G, 2A |
| November | Terem Moffi (Riteriai) | 4GP, 6G, 3A |
Young Player of the Month :
| Month | Player | Stats |
| March | Paulius Golubickas (Sūduva) | 4GP, 2G, 2A |
| April | Idris Umayev (Palanga) | 5GP, 3G, 1A |
| May | Paulius Golubickas (Sūduva) | 4GP, 1G, 2A |
| June & July | Terem Moffi (Riteriai) | 4GP, 3G |
| August | Karolis Uzėla (Žalgiris) | 3GP, 3G, 1A |
| September | Paulius Golubickas (Sūduva) | 3GP, 2G, 1A |
| October | Eligijus Jankauskas (Sūduva) | 4GP, 3G, 1A |
| November | Terem Moffi (Riteriai) | 4GP, 6G, 3A |
Coach of the Month :
| Month | Manager | Win % |
| March | João Luís Martins (Stumbras) | 4GP, 75% |
| April | Mindaugas Čepas (Kauno Žalgiris) | 4GP, 75% |
| May | Vladimir Cheburin (Sūduva) | 4GP, 100% |
| June & July | Marek Zub (Žalgiris) | 4GP, 100% |
| August | Alexandru Curteian (Panevėžys) | 5GP, 80% |
| September | Vladimir Cheburin (Sūduva) | 4GP, 100% |
| October | Vladimir Cheburin (Sūduva) | 7GP, 100% |
| November | Albert Rybak (Riteriai) | 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 | 4 |
| Donatas Kazlauskas | Riteriai | 4 |
| Paulius Golubickas | Sūduva | 3 |
| Semir Kerla | Sūduva | 3 |
| Andro Švrljuga | Sūduva | 3 |
| Ivan Kardum | Sūduva | 3 |
| Terem Moffi | Riteriai | 3 |
| Pau Morer | Žalgiris | 2 |
| Idris Umayev | Palanga | 2 |
| Modestas Vorobjovas | Žalgiris | 2 |
| Liviu Antal | Žalgiris | 2 |
| Eligijus Jankauskas | Sūduva | 2 |
| Mihret Topčagić | Sūduva | 2 |