Lithuanian media: Žalgiris burned in the Zagreb hell
After Dinamo thrashed Kauno Žalgiris 5-0, Lithuanian portals do not hide their disappointment. The return leg in Kaunas in a week will be a mere formality.
After Dinamo thrashed Kauno Žalgiris 5-0, Lithuanian portals do not hide their disappointment. The return leg in Kaunas in a week will be a mere formality.
In the first match of the third qualifying round of the Champions League, played on August 4, 2026, at Maksimir in front of 12,000 spectators, Dinamo convincingly defeated Lithuanian side Kauno Žalgiris 5-0 (2-0). The team led by Croatian coach Željko Sopić, which features four Croatian players, failed to offer any significant resistance. The Croatian champions can already calmly plan for the play-off round, especially since Kauno Žalgiris proved to be a far weaker opponent than Thun was in the previous round.
Dinamo imposed their rhythm from the very start, but their first serious chance came only in the 13th minute when Luka Stojković shot from an angle from about ten meters out, but Lithuanian goalkeeper Tomas Švedkauskas made a brilliant save. However, the pressure paid off within just two minutes. According to a report from Klikni.hr, Miha Zajc scored in the 32nd minute with a precise strike from 18 meters to make it 1-0, while Index.hr notes it happened in the 31st minute. Just a minute later, in the 33rd minute, Scott McKenna headed in from a cross by Pérez Vinlöf in the six-yard box to make it 2-0, with a deflection off visiting player Benchaib.
The second half brought even greater dominance from the blues. Mateo Lisica in the 51st minute with a measured shot from about ten meters out extended the lead to 3-0. Five minutes later, Dion Drena Beljo headed against the crossbar, but Švedkauskas again reacted superbly. Kauno Žalgiris directed their first shot on Dinamo's goal only in the 67th minute, when Franco Baldassarra hit the junction of post and bar from 30 meters.
Dinamo did not stop. In the 76th minute, Luka Stojković received a pass from Mišić and from the edge of the box hit the left post for 4-0. The final 5-0 was set by Lukas Kačavenda in stoppage time (90+4 minutes), finishing a counter-attack on the second attempt. The match was refereed by Belgian official Lambrechts.
After the heavy defeat, Lithuanian media did not mince words. The TV3 portal wrote: "Lesson learned. Kauno Žalgiris burned in the Zagreb hell," adding that "Dinamo crushed the champions of Lithuania and inflicted a painful defeat on them in the Champions League qualifiers."
The LNK portal assessed that "Kauno Žalgiris was no match for the Croatian giants" and that "Željko Sopić's team failed to cause an upset. They didn't even seriously threaten Dinamo's goal." The harshest was Lithuanian Delfi, which said: "Dinamo shamelessly buried Kauno Žalgiris's Champions League dreams," concluding that their champions will need a miracle in the return leg.
"The North sings the most beautiful ballad to the city 💙," posted the official GNK Dinamo Twitter profile with a photo of Luka Stanzl.
The return leg will be played in a week in the Lithuanian city of Kaunas, starting at 7 PM. Given the high 5-0 from the first match, Dinamo's passage to the Champions League play-off, where they will most likely face Norwegian side Viking, is practically secured.
