| Pixels: | 250 |
| Competition: | A Lyga |
| Season: | 2018 |
| Winners: | Sūduva |
| Relegated: | Jonava |
| Continentalcup1: | Champions League |
| Continentalcup1 Qualifiers: | Sūduva |
| Continentalcup2: | Europa League |
| Continentalcup2 Qualifiers: | Žalgiris Trakai Stumbras |
| Matches: | 127 |
| Total Goals: | 331 |
| Biggest Home Win: | (28 October 2018) (7 November 2018) |
| Biggest Away Win: | (26 September 2018) |
| Highest Scoring: | (11 April 2018) (4 October 2018) (7 November 2018) |
| Highest Attendance: | (27 June 2018) |
| Lowest Attendance: | (3 July 2018) (23 August 2018) (26 September 2018) (24 October 2018) |
| Attendance: | 50,557 |
| Average Attendance: | 399 |
| Updated: | 11 November 2018 |
| Prevseason: | 2017 |
| Nextseason: | 2019 |
The 2018 A Lyga was the 29th season of the A Lyga, the top-tier association football league of Lithuania. The season began on 25 February 2018 and ended on 11 November 2018.[1]
Sūduva Marijampolė began the season as defending champions having won their first league title last year. They secured a second consecutive title in ARVI Football Arena on 7 November, after they beaten Atlantas 6–0.[2] [3]
The following teams are competing in the 2018 championship:
| Club | Location | Stadium | Turf | Capacity | 2017 position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Klaipėda | Central Stadium of Klaipėda | Natural | 4,428 | 5th | |
| Klaipėda Artificial Football Pitch | Artificial | 1,000 | |||
| Jonava | Central Stadium of Jonava | Natural | 1,008 | 4th | |
| Jonava Artificial Football Pitch | Artificial | 558 | |||
| Kaunas | Darius and Girėnas Stadium | Natural | 9,180 | 8th | |
| NFA Stadium | Artificial | 500 | |||
| Palanga | Palanga Stadium | Natural | 1,212 | I Lyga, 1st | |
| Klaipėda | Klaipėda Artificial Football Pitch | Artificial | 1,000 | ||
| Kaunas | Darius and Girėnas Stadium | Natural | 9,180 | 7th | |
| NFA Stadium | Artificial | 500 | |||
| Marijampolė | ARVI Football Arena | Natural | 6,250 | 1st | |
| ARVI Football Indoor Arena | Artificial | 2,660 | |||
| Vilnius | LFF Stadium | Artificial | 5,067 | 3rd | |
| Sportima Arena | Artificial | 3,157 | |||
| Vilnius | LFF Stadium | Artificial | 5,067 | 2nd | |
| Sportima Arena | Artificial | 3,157 |
Stadium location
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 |  Vacys Lekevičius (caretaker) | Andrius Bartkus | Adidas[4] | Marijampolės pieno konservai[5] | |
| Jonava | Artūras Ramoška | Tadas Eliošius[6] Laurynas Stonkus | Erreà[7] | — | |
| Kauno Žalgiris | Mindaugas Čepas | Aurimas Raginis | Hummel | BC Žalgiris | |
| Palanga | Valdas Trakys | Gvidas Juška | Nike[8] | — | |
| Stumbras | Mariano Barreto | Rimvydas Sadauskas[9] | Joma[10] | — | |
| Sūduva |  Vladimir Cheburin | Algis Jankauskas | Joma | Sumeda | |
| Trakai |  Albert Rybak (caretaker) | Valdemaras Borovskis[11] | Nike | Ecoil | |
| Žalgiris | Valdas Urbonas | Georgas Freidgeimas[12] | Nike | Top Sport |
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Žalgiris | Aleksandr Brazevich | End of contract | 24 November 2017[13] | Pre-season | Aurelijus Skarbalius | 27 November 2017[14] | |
| Jonava | Mindaugas Čepas | 21 December 2017[15] | Darius Gvildys (caretaker) | 21 December 2017[16] | |||
| Atlantas | Igoris Pankratjevas | Mutual consent | 5 January 2018[17] | Algimantas Briaunys (caretaker) | 5 January 2018 | ||
| Kauno Žalgiris | Johnny McKinstry | 5 January 2018[18] | Mindaugas Čepas | 5 January 2018[19] | |||
| Jonava | Darius Gvildys | End of caretaker spell | 12 January 2018[20] | Filipe Ribeiro | 12 January 2018 | ||
| Filipe Ribeiro | Sacked | 15 May 2018[21] | 8th | Darius Gvildys | 15 May 2018 | ||
| Trakai |  Oleg Vasilenko | 18 May 2018[22] | 3rd | Virmantas Lemežis (caretaker) | 18 May 2018 | ||
| Atlantas | Algimantas Briaunys | End of caretaker spell | 1 June 2018[23] | 4th | Anatoli Shelest | 1 June 2018 | |
| Trakai | Virmantas Lemežis | 18 June 2018[24] | 3rd |  Kibu Vicuña | 18 June 2018 | ||
| Atlantas | Anatoli Shelest | Sacked | 21 June 2018[25] [26] | 5th | Algimantas Briaunys (caretaker) | 3 August 2018[27] | |
| Žalgiris | Aurelijus Skarbalius | 21 June 2018[28] | 2nd | Valdas Urbonas | 23 June 2018[29] | ||
| Jonava | Darius Gvildys | Mutual consent | 12 July 2018[30] | 8th | Artūras Ramoška | 12 January 2018 | |
| Atlantas | Algimantas Briaunys | Resigned | 30 August 2018[31] | 6th | Tadas Labukas (caretaker) | 6 September 2018[32] | |
| Tadas Labukas | End of caretaker spell | 13 September 2018[33] | Anatoli Shelest | 13 September 2018 | |||
| Trakai | Kibu Vicuña | Signed by Wisła Płock | 11 October 2018[34] | 4th | Albert Rybak (caretaker) | 11 October 2018[35] | |
| Atlantas | Anatoli Shelest | Mutual consent | 24 October 2018[36] | 6th | Vacys Lekevičius (caretaker) | 24 October 2018[37] [38] |
The 7th placed team faced the runners-up of the 2018 LFF I Lyga for a two-legged play-off. The winner on aggregate score after both matches earned entry into the 2019 A Lyga.
Palanga won 5–0 on aggregate and therefore both clubs remain in their respective leagues.
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 2019 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | ||
| 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 7 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | ||
| 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | ||
| 4 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | |||||||
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Rank | width=35px | Pos. ! | width=180px | Player ! | Club | Goals[39] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MF |  Liviu Antal | Žalgiris | 23 | 2065 | 90 | ||
| 2 | MF |  Marcos Júnior | Stumbras | 17 | 2097 | 124 | ||
| 3 | MF | Donatas Kazlauskas | Atlantas/Trakai | 12 | 1796 | 150 | ||
| 4 | FW | Ogana Louis | Žalgiris | 11 | 1643 | 150 | ||
| 5 | MF | Gerson Acevedo | Sūduva | 10 | 1719 | 172 | ||
| 6 | MF | Ovidijus Verbickas | 9 | 1858 | 207 | |||
| 7 | FW |  Sandro Gotal | 8 | 644 | 81 | |||
| FW |  Tomáš Malec | Žalgiris | 1546 | 194 | ||||
| FW | Rigino Cicilia | Sūduva | 1588 | 199 | ||||
| FW | Laurynas Stonkus | Jonava | 2075 | 260 |
| Rank | width=35px | Pos. ! | width=180px | Player ! | Club | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MF | Tomáš Šimkovič | Žalgiris | 15 | ||
| 2 | DF | Andro Švrljuga | Sūduva | 8 | ||
| 3 | FW | Ogana Louis | Žalgiris | 7 | ||
| 4 | MF | Lucas Villela | Stumbras | 6 | ||
| 5 | MF | Kgaogelo Sekgota | 5 | |||
| MF |  Serge Nyuiadzi | Žalgiris | ||||
| DF | Vaidas Slavickas | Sūduva | ||||
| MF | Ovidijus Verbickas |
| Rank | width=180px | Player ! | Club | Clean sheets | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ivan Kardum | Sūduva | 17 | 33 | |
| 2 | Džiugas Bartkus | Žalgiris | 12 | 21 | |
| Tomas Švedkauskas | Trakai | 23 | |||
| Rodrigo Josviaki | Stumbras | 30 | |||
| 5 | Martynas Matuzas | Kauno Žalgiris | 7 | 20 | |
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3–2 (H) | 7 April 2018 | [40] | ||||
| 4–0 (H) | 28 August 2018 | [41] | ||||
| 0–5 (A) | 29 August 2018 | [42] | ||||
| 3–0 (H) | 4 October 2018 | [43] | ||||
| 5–2 (H) | 7 November 2018 | [44] | ||||
| 6–0 (H) | 7 November 2018 | [45] |
Linas Klimavičius (Žalgiris)Awards were presented at the Lithuanian Football Awards ceremony, which was held on 21 February 2019. Finalists for voted awards were announced after the season and winners were presented at the award ceremony.[46]
| Award | Recipient(s) | |
|---|---|---|
| Player of the Year | Ovidijus Verbickas (Sūduva) | |
| Young Player of the Year | Justinas Marazas (Trakai) | |
| Manager of the Year | Vladimir Cheburin (Sūduva) | |
| Golden Boot | Liviu Antal (Žalgiris) |
| Month | Player | Stats | Rf | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March | 4GP, 3G, 1A | [48] | ||
| April | 5GP, 5G | [49] | ||
| May | 5GP, 4G, 1A | [50] | ||
| June & July | 3GP, 2G | [51] | ||
| August | 3GP, 7G, 1A | [52] | ||
| September & October | 9GP, 4G, 4A | [53] |
| Month | Player | Stats | Rf | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March | Wasn't announced | |||
| April | 5GP, 3G | [54] | ||
| May | 5GP, 1G, 2A | [55] | ||
| June & July | 4GP, 1G | [56] | ||
| August | 5GP, 1A | [57] | ||
| September & October | 4GP, 1A | [58] | ||
| Month | Player | Win % | Rf | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March | 4GP, 75% | [59] | ||
| April | 5GP, 80% | [60] | ||
| May | 5GP, 80% | [61] | ||
| June & July | 3GP, 100% | [62] | ||
| August | 3GP, 100% | [63] | ||
| September & October | 10GP, 70% | [64] |
| Multiple appearances | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player | Club | App |
| Sūduva | 4 | |
| Žalgiris | ||
| 3 | ||
| Tomáš Šimkovič | ||
| Stumbras | ||
| 2 | ||
| Žalgiris | ||
| Kauno Žalgiris | ||
| Sūduva | ||
| Žalgiris | ||
 Ogana Louis | ||
