The 2026 Women's A League began on Saturday, 14 March, with a Šiauliai derby between Lithuanian champions Gintra and league newcomers FA Šiauliai.
Artūr Sikorskij's side, the nominal hosts, comfortably won 3:0 (1–0 at half-time) against the newcomers to collect their first three points.
Canadians Tamara Brown and Kiyani Johnson were unavailable through injury.
Starting lineup: A. Herasymchuk, T. Romanovskaja, G. Knutzen, A. Šveckutė, A. Mikutaitė, S. Amorim, L. Ribeiro (78' min. J. Dias), A. Kazarina (46' min. M. Proscevičiūtė), M.Galkina (84' min. U. Grincevičiūtė), K. Pereviznyk, J. Blaževičiūtė (84' min. A. Diachenko).
Goals:
Gintra: K. Pereviznyk (29′, 83' min.) – 2, L. Ribeiro (66' min.) – 1.
Before kick-off, the teams observed a minute's silence for Laura Kubiliūtė's family following the sad loss of her mother that week.
The derby began without much caution. FA Šiauliai created the first opportunity through former longstanding Gintra player Sonata Durienė. Moments later, Gintra had a clear chance at the other end, but Lidiane Ribeiro's shot went just wide of the post.
The fierce contest continued, with a large Šiauliai crowd enjoying the spectacle.
Ukrainian Kristina Pereviznyk opened her A League season with a spectacular goal. Her powerful strike from around 25 metres beat former Gintra goalkeeper Greta Lukjančukė and put the champions 1–0 ahead.
L. Ribeiro had another chance to double the lead in the 40th minute, but this time her effort was comfortable for the goalkeeper. Gintra went into the break with a narrow advantage.
The Lithuanian champions increasingly dominated in the second half. In the 66th minute, Lidiane Ribeiro finally beat Greta Lukjančukė to double the nominal hosts' lead: 2–0.
As the match approached its end, K. Pereviznyk completed her brace after a fine combination, removing any remaining doubt at 3–0.
Gintra's next A League match is next weekend. On Sunday, 22 March, at 18:00, they host last season's runners-up, TransINVEST of Vilnius district.
Match highlights:
Coach's comments: