| 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 9–1Atlantas (30 October 2019) |
| Biggest away win | Atlantas 0–5Sūduva (10 March 2019) Panevėžys 2–7Sūduva (24 September 2019) |
| Highest scoring | Sūduva 9–1Atlantas (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 vSūduva (20 October 2019) |
| Lowest attendance | 50 Palanga vSūduva (20 April 2019) |
| Total attendance | 52,357 |
| Average attendance | 468 |
←2018 2020 → All statistics correct as of 1 December. | |
The2019 A Lyga was the 30th season of theA Lyga, the top-tierassociation football league ofLithuania. 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 inAukštaitija Stadium on 3 November, after they beatPanevėžys 5–1.
Only five league clubs survived throughout the year –Stumbras folded in the summer, whileAtlantas andPalanga were disqualified in the off-season.
Eight clubs competed – the top six of the2018 season, the winner of therelegation play-offs and the champions of the2018 LFF I Lyga.Palanga remained in the league having won the play-offs, whilePanevėžys made their top-tier debut replacing relegatedJonava.
Trakai changed their name toRiteriai during the preseason, for a better identification withVilnius, where the main team has been located since 2014.[2]
In 2019 Stumbras started the season very well by winning againstFK Sūduva Marijampolė andFK Žalgiris Vilnius, claiming the top position of the2019 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 in2019–20 UEFA Europa League and it'sA Lyga license revoked. The club became defunct shortly afterwards.
On 5 December 2019, theLithuanian Football Federation announce that twoA Lyga clubs,FK Atlantas Klaipėda andFK Palanga have been excluded from theA Lyga due to manipulation of the match results, fined 42,000 euros and relegated to theII Lyga. Ten players and one staff were punished with fines and a ban from all football activity ranging from 6 to 12 months.
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
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined underFIFA eligibility rules. Players and Managers may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| Team | Head coach | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantas | Nike[3] | — | ||
| Kauno Žalgiris | Hummel | BC Žalgiris | ||
| Palanga | Nike | 011[5] | ||
| Panevėžys | Hummel[6] | Kalnapilis | ||
| Riteriai | Nike | Ecoil | ||
| Stumbras | Joma | — | ||
| Sūduva | Joma | Sumeda | ||
| Žalgiris | Nike | Top Sport |
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantas | End of caretaker spell | 11 November 2018[8] | Pre-season | 16 February 2019[9] | ||
| Riteriai | 21 December 2018[10] | 21 December 2018[10] | ||||
| Palanga | Mutual consent | 2 January 2019[11] | 29 January 2019[12] | |||
| Stumbras | 31 January 2019[13] | 22 February 2019[14] | ||||
| Žalgiris | Signed byLithuania national team | 2 February 2019[15] | 13 February 2019[16] |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sūduva | 28 | 25 | 0 | 3 | 74 | 15 | +59 | 75 | Qualification toChampionship 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 toRelegation 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 |
First half of season[edit] | Second half of season[edit]
|
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sūduva(C) | 33 | 29 | 0 | 4 | 95 | 24 | +71 | 87 | Qualification toChampions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | Žalgiris | 33 | 24 | 2 | 7 | 79 | 29 | +50 | 74 | Qualification toEuropa 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 to2020 II Lyga |
The 7th placed team will face the runners-up of the2019 LFF I Lyga for a two-legged play-off. The winner onaggregate score after both matches will earn entry into the 2020 A Lyga.
| Palanga | 2–2 | Banga |
|---|---|---|
| Sergei Mošnikov Josip Jurjević | Report |
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 toChampions League first qualifying round | |
| Qualification toEuropa League first qualifying round | |
| Qualification torelegation play-offs | |
| Relegation to 2020I 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
Top scorers[edit]
Updated at the end of the season | Hat-tricks[edit]
5 Player scored 5 goals |
| 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 theI Lyga
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