Lithuania national football team

The Lithuania national football team (Lithuanian: Lietuvos nacionalinė futbolo rinktinė) represents Lithuania in international football and is controlled by the Lithuanian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Lithuania. They played their first match in 1923. In 1940, Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union; the country regained its independence in 1990 and played their first match thereafter against Georgia on 27 May of that year.

See also: Lithuania women's national football team

Lithuania
Nickname(s)Rinktine (National team)
AssociationLithuanian Football Federation
(Lietuvos futbolo federacija – LFF)
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachValdas Urbonas
CaptainFedor Černych
Most capsSaulius Mikoliūnas (90)
Top scorerTomas Danilevičius (19)
Home stadiumLFF Stadium
FIFA codeLTU
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 129 (10 December 2020)[1]
Highest37 (October 2008)
Lowest148 (November 2017)
First international
 Lithuania 0–5 Estonia 
(Kaunas, Lithuania; 24 June 1923)
Biggest win
 Lithuania 7–0 Estonia 
(Riga, Latvia; 20 May 1995)
Biggest defeat
 Egypt 10–0 Lithuania 
(Paris, France; 27 May 1924)

Although Lithuania has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup, nor the UEFA European Championship, they have successfully participated in the local sub-regional Baltic Cup tournament, which takes place every two years between Lithuania and their Baltic rivals, Latvia and Estonia. Lithuania has won the Baltic Cup championship 11 times, only Latvia has won it more. Despite this Lithuania holds the record for winning the most consecutive Baltic Cup championships, four titles in a row from 1996 to 2000.

Since 2012 the national team has played their home matches at the LFF Stadium in Vilnius.

History

On 24 June 1923, Lithuania played their first ever game, at the Lietuvos Fizinio Lavinimosi Sąjunga Stadionas, resulting in a 5–0 loss against Estonia. In 1924, Lithuania entered the 1924 Olympics in France, losing 9–0 against Switzerland on 25 May 1924. Two days later, Lithuania suffered a 10–0 loss to Egypt, a record defeat to date. During the early years of the Lithuanian national team, Lithuania regularly played Baltic neighbours Estonia and Latvia, with Lithuania's first win coming in a 2–1 away win against Estonia on 24 August 1924 in Tallinn. In 1930, Lithuania won the third edition of the Baltic Cup in Kaunas.[2] On 13 October 1940, Lithuania played their final game for just shy of 50 years, a 4–3 win against Latvia, following the first Soviet annexation of the country.[3]

Lithuania's first game following the declaration of independence in 1990 was a 2–2 draw against Georgia in Tbilisi on 27 May 1990.[4] In the 1990s, Lithuania established a respectable presence in the World Cup and European Championship qualifiers: third place in their group in both Euro 1996 and the 1998 World Cup qualifiers. In the Euro 2004 qualifiers, they were once again contenders for qualification and managed an away draw with Germany and a home win over Scotland; however, a 1–0 defeat to Scotland in the final game ended their hopes. Although finishing fifth in their 2006 World Cup qualifying group, Lithuania were nevertheless competitive.

Lithuania drew with world champions Italy 1–1 in Naples in a Euro 2008 qualifying game on 2 September 2006, in the first competitive game that Italy played since the World Cup final.

On 6 September 2008, Lithuania defeated Romania 3–0 in a 2010 World Cup qualifier. The victory was regarded by many as "a historic win."[5] It was followed by another successful 2–0 performance against Austria in Marijampolė on 10 September 2008.

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup record
FIFA World Cup record FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
1930 Did not enter Declined participation
1934 Did not qualify 1 0 0 1 0 2
1938 2 0 0 2 3 9
1950 Part of the  Soviet Union Part of the  Soviet Union
1954
1958
1962
1966
1970
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994 Did not qualify 12 2 3 7 8 21
1998 10 5 2 3 11 8
2002 8 0 2 6 3 20
2006 10 2 4 4 8 9
2010 10 4 0 6 10 11
2014 10 3 2 5 9 11
2018 10 1 3 6 7 20
2022 To be determined To be determined
2026
Total 0/10 73 17 16 40 59 111

UEFA European Championship record
UEFA European Championship record UEFA European Championship qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D * L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
1960 Part of the  Soviet Union Part of the  Soviet Union
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996 Did not qualify 10 5 1 4 13 12
2000 10 3 2 5 8 16
2004 8 3 1 4 7 11
2008 12 5 1 6 11 13
2012 8 1 2 5 4 13
2016 10 3 1 6 7 18
2020 8 0 1 7 5 25
2024 To be determined To be determined
Total 0/7 66 20 9 37 55 108

UEFA Nations League records
UEFA Nations League record
Season** Division Group Pld W D* L GF GA P/R RK
2018–19 C 4 600631639th
2020–21 C 4 62225741st
2022–23 C Future event
Total 12 2 2 8 8 23 39th
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
**Group stage played home and away. Flag shown represents host nation for the finals stage.

Recent results and upcoming fixtures
Main article: Lithuania national football team results
DateVenueOpponentResultGoalscorer(s)CaptainCompetition
2019
14 November 2019Faro, Portugal Portugal6–0Fedor ČernychUEFA Euro 2020 qualifying
17 November 2019Vilnius, Lithuania New Zealand1–0Arvydas NovikovasSaulius MikoliūnasInternational friendly
2020
27 March 2020Almaty, Kazakhstan KazakhstancanceledInternational friendly
3 June 2020Vilnius, Lithuania Estonia2020 Baltic Cup
6 June 2020Latvia Latvia2020 Baltic Cup
4 September 2020Vilnius, Lithuania Kazakhstan0–2Fedor Černych2020–21 UEFA Nations League
7 September 2020Tirana, Albania Albania0–1Donatas KazlauskasSaulius Mikoliūnas2020–21 UEFA Nations League
7 October 2020Tallinn, Estonia Estonia1–3Arvydas Novikovas x2, Gratas SirgėdasSaulius MikoliūnasInternational friendly
11 October 2020Vilnius, Lithuania Belarus2–2Arvydas Novikovas, Karolis LaukžemisSaulius Mikoliūnas2020–21 UEFA Nations League
14 October 2020Vilnius, Lithuania Albania0–0Saulius Mikoliūnas2020–21 UEFA Nations League
11 November 2020Vilnius, Lithuania Faroe Islands2–1Gratas Sirgėdas x2Tomas ŠvedkauskasInternational friendly
15 November 2020Minsk, Belarus Belarus0–22020–21 UEFA Nations League
18 November 2020Almaty, Kazakhstan Kazakhstan1–2Modestas Vorobjovas, Arvydas Novikovas2020–21 UEFA Nations League

FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifying
Main article: 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group F

{{2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group F|show_matches=yes|showteam=LTU}}

Euro 2020 qualification
Main article: UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Ukraine 8 6 2 0 17 4 +13 20 Qualify for final tournament — 2–1 5–0 1–0 2–0
2  Portugal 8 5 2 1 22 6 +16 17 0–0 — 1–1 3–0 6–0
3  Serbia 8 4 2 2 17 17 0 14 Advance to play-offs via Nations League 2–2 2–4 — 3–2 4–1
4  Luxembourg 8 1 1 6 7 16 −9 4 1–2 0–2 1–3 — 2–1
5  Lithuania 8 0 1 7 5 25 −20 1 0–3 1–5 1–2 1–1 —
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers

Personnel

Current coaching staff
Position Name
Head coach Valdas Urbonas
Assistant coach Andrius Skerla
Fitness coach Šarūnas Bičiušas
Goalkeeping coach Justinas Gasiūnas
Analyst Lukas Žėkas

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the friendly against Estonia on 7 October, and the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League fixtures against Belarus and Albania on 11 and 14 October 2020, respectively.[6]

Caps and goals correct as of 7 October 2020, after the game against Estonia.
No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
12 1GK Tomas Švedkauskas (1994-06-22) 22 June 1994 3 0 Lommel
16 1GK Edvinas Gertmonas (1996-06-01) 1 June 1996 1 0 Žalgiris
1 1GK Deividas Mikelionis (1995-05-08) 8 May 1995 0 0 Kauno Žalgiris
13 2DF Saulius Mikoliūnas (Vice-captain) (1984-05-02) 2 May 1984 87 5 Žalgiris
8 2DF Egidijus Vaitkūnas (1988-08-08) 8 August 1988 46 0 Kauno Žalgiris
4 2DF Edvinas Girdvainis (1993-01-19) 19 January 1993 25 0 KFC Uerdingen 05
3 2DF Markus Palionis (1987-05-12) 12 May 1987 12 0 Jahn Regensburg
17 2DF Martynas Dapkus (1993-02-16) 16 February 1993 5 0 Kauno Žalgiris
5 2DF Markas Beneta (1993-07-08) 8 July 1993 2 0 Zagłębie Sosnowiec
2 2DF Vytas Gašpuitis (1994-03-04) 4 March 1994 0 0 Dunfermline Athletic
11 3MF Arvydas Novikovas (1990-12-18) 18 December 1990 60 12 Erzurumspor
21 3MF Modestas Vorobjovas (1995-12-30) 30 December 1995 21 0 Žalgiris
18 3MF Ovidijus Verbickas (1993-07-04) 4 July 1993 19 1 Taraz
19 3MF Donatas Kazlauskas (1994-03-31) 31 March 1994 17 2 Lviv
14 3MF Justas Lasickas (1997-10-06) 6 October 1997 14 0 Voždovac
20 3MF Domantas Šimkus (1996-02-10) 10 February 1996 12 0 Hapoel Kfar Saba
10 3MF Paulius Golubickas (1999-08-19) 19 August 1999 8 0 Gorica
7 3MF Gratas Sirgėdas (1994-12-17) 17 December 1994 6 3 Kauno Žalgiris
15 3MF Daniel Romanovskij (1996-06-19) 19 June 1996 3 0 Olimpik Donetsk
22 4FW Fedor Černych (Captain) (1991-05-21) 21 May 1991 57 9 Jagiellonia
9 4FW Karolis Laukžemis (1992-03-11) 11 March 1992 14 1 Unattached
23 4FW Gytis Paulauskas (1999-09-27) 27 September 1999 1 0 Riteriai

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for the team in the last twelve months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Emilijus Zubas (1990-07-10) 10 July 1990 14 0 Adana Demirspor v.  Belarus, 11 October 2020WD
GK Džiugas Bartkus (1989-11-07) 7 November 1989 6 0 Ironi Kiryat Shmona v.  Albania, 7 September 2020
DF Dominykas Barauskas (1997-04-18) 18 April 1997 0 0 Riteriai v.  Estonia, 7 October 2020INJ
DF Linas Klimavičius (1989-04-10) 10 April 1989 27 0 Sūduva v.  Albania, 7 September 2020
DF Rolandas Baravykas (1995-08-23) 23 August 1995 20 1 Nea Salamis Famagusta v.  Albania, 7 September 2020
MF Tautvydas Eliošius (1991-11-03) 3 November 1991 1 0 Panevėžys v.  Albania, 7 September 2020
MF Domantas Antanavičius (1998-11-18) 18 November 1998 0 0 Triglav Kranj v.  Albania, 7 September 2020

INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury.
PRE Preliminary / standby.
RET Player retired from the national team.
SUS Player is serving suspension.
WD Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue.

Player records
As of 18 November 2019[7]
Players in bold are still active, at least at club level.

All-time head-to-head record
Main article: Lithuanian national football team head to head

As of 17 November 2019.

List of managers
Name Nat From To Games Won Drawn Lost GF GA Win%
Benjaminas Zelkevičius 19901991 3 1 2 0 7 4 033.33
Algimantas Liubinskas 19921994 29 7 8 14 29 48 024.14
Benjaminas Zelkevičius 19951997 29 12 6 11 45 41 041.38
Kęstutis Latoža 19981999 18 5 4 9 15 24 027.78
Robertas Tautkus (caretaker) 19991999 1 0 0 1 0 3 000.00
Stasys Stankus 20002000 8 2 0 6 8 18 025.00
Julius Kvedaras (caretaker) 20002000 1 0 0 1 1 6 000.00
Benjaminas Zelkevičius 20012003 19 4 3 12 20 41 021.05
Algimantas Liubinskas 20032008 50 18 6 26 54 65 036.00
José Couceiro 20082009 15 6 3 6 17 15 040.00
Raimondas Žutautas 20102011 16 4 3 9 11 22 025.00
Csaba László 20122013 16 2 4 10 12 28 012.50
Igoris Pankratjevas 20132015 21 5 5 11 14 31 023.81
Edgaras Jankauskas 20162018 26 3 5 18 14 50 011.54
Valdas Urbonas 2019Present 10 1 2 7 6 25 010.00

See also

References
  1. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  2. "MATCHES → international football results of Lithuania". eufootball.info. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  3. "International football MATCH: 13.10.1940 Lithuania v Latvia*". eufootball.info. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  4. "International football MATCH: 27.05.1990 Georgia v Lithuania". eufootball.info. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
  5. FIFA World Cup uefa.com
  6. "Rinktinės sudėtį pristatęs V. Urbonas: Tikslas surinkti motyvuotus, „alkanus" ir truputį išprotėjusius" [V. Urbonas, who presented the composition of the team: The goal is to get motivated, hungry and a little bit crazy]. Lithuanian Football Federation (in Lithuanian). 30 September 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  7. Mamrud, Roberto. "Lithuania - Record International Players". RSSSF.
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