Dinamo demolished Kauno Žalgiris 5:0 at Maksimir in the first leg of the Champions League third qualifying round. Coach Mario Kovačević didn't hide his satisfaction after the match, and he specifically addressed the situation with Lukas Kačavenda.
Zagreb's Dinamo has taken a convincing step toward the Champions League play-offs. In the first leg of the third qualifying round at Maksimir on August 4, 2026, they defeated Lithuania's Kauno Žalgiris 5:0, practically securing their passage after the first 90 minutes.
The Blues dominated from the first minute, and they started breaching the visitors' net as early as the first half. Miha Zajc opened the scoring in the 31st minute, and just two minutes later, Scott McKenna doubled the lead. In the second half, Mateo Lisica made it 3:0 in the 51st minute, Luka Stojković added a fourth in the 76th, and Lukas Kačavenda set the final score at 5:0 in stoppage time, specifically in the 90+4th minute.
The return leg will be played a week later in Kaunas at 7 PM, but after such a result, the question of who will advance is no longer in doubt.
Dinamo's coach, Mario Kovačević, didn't hide his satisfaction after the match. In an interview with MAXSport TV, he emphasized that his team didn't underestimate the opponent, despite being clear favorites.
"Congratulations to my players. We imposed ourselves from the first minute. It wasn't easy. They sat in a low block at the start. But we didn't allow them a single shot from inside the box, which made things much easier for us. The goals came naturally after we scored the first. I don't shy away from the favorite's role; Thun was a stronger opponent. We're going there to win the return leg. We can't play against Rijeka because we're playing in Europe on a different date. We have to be sportsmen to the end. We'll look for a win in the return leg. We'll start scouting Viking soon. We have seven days of peace," said Kovačević.
If Dinamo confirms their advancement, they will face Norway's Viking in the next round. Kovačević confirmed that his staff will use the week off for a detailed analysis of that opponent.
A particularly emotional moment was the story of Lukas Kačavenda, who scored the final goal of the match. The young player was on loan last season, and this season, according to the coach, he was in demand.
"Last year, I was sorry when Kačavenda went on loan. I didn't allow him to leave this season. And he had offers. I'm happy for him; he's had a lot of injuries and has been through a lot in his career. I wish him as few as possible in the future," said Kovačević.
On the other side, Kauno Žalgiris coach Željko Sopić was completely honest in assessing his team's strength. He admitted he's aware of his team's limitations and that Dinamo deservedly celebrated.
"I'm a Dinamo fan, and I'm not nervous. I'm aware of my team. It would be the same if we played against Lech Poznan or Red Star. It will be easier for us in the Conference League. When we play in front of 10-12 thousand fans, we make big mistakes. There aren't that many fans in Lithuania. Dinamo is for the Champions League, and we're for the Conference League. Congratulations to Dinamo on the win, fully deserved," said Sopić.
He also added that he's aware the return leg in Kaunas is a formality and that his team will focus on the domestic league.
Fourth goal scorer Luka Stojković revealed how he scored his goal and emphasized the team's serious approach.
"We're very happy; we came in seriously and scored two goals in the first half. We said we mustn't stop and that we needed to score more goals. It was very hot, but we managed to overcome that and win. My goal? Miške got to the ball during the foul. I first looked for Beljo to pass to him, but I decided to take on the player and score through his legs. It means a lot to us because we don't have a match this weekend. No letting up; we're going to Lithuania for another win," said Stojković.
