It was a thrilling encounter in the II Lyga B Divizionas 2025 season as FK Fortuna secured a 5–3 victory over FK Utenis, with former Buruj Academy forward Noah Abolaji Salaudeen stealing the spotlight after netting a brace in the opening minutes of the match.
Salaudeen, elder brother to Nigeria’s U-15 national team player, Raheem Moyinoluwa Salaudeen, opened the scoring for Fortuna in the 15th minute and quickly doubled the lead just two minutes later in the 17th minute, putting his side in early control.
Utenis, however, pulled one back through Jokubas Bulka in first-half stoppage time to end the half at 2–1.
The second half delivered more drama. Just a minute after the restart, Utenis made tactical changes, but Fortuna extended their advantage in the 57th minute through Nerijus Kilmas. Utenis responded strongly, with Augustinas Bulka and Vilandas Fiodorov striking in the 68th and 70th minutes to level the match at 3–3.
Discipline became an issue as Utenis’ Fiodorov and Bulka both received yellow cards in the 76th and 78th minutes, respectively. Fortuna capitalized almost immediately when Mohammadmehdi Ghafarpour restored their lead in the 79th minute.
Further substitutions followed, with Fortuna replacing the impressive Salaudeen in the 88th minute, but the goals kept coming. In stoppage time, Luka Tatarūnas sealed the win with Fortuna’s fifth goal in the 93rd minute, wrapping up a memorable 5–3 triumph.
The match was not without tension, with yellow cards shown to Tatarūnas (36’), Domas Volodko (39’), and Ridas Bieliajevas (90+’).
With this victory, FK Fortuna not only displayed resilience but also highlighted the emergence of Noah Abolaji Salaudeen, whose quick-fire brace set the tone for the high-scoring clash.