Sopić: Dinamo is a school, and reveals who threatens Hajduk
Croatian coach of Kauno Žalgiris analyzes the defeat to Dinamo for SN and previews Hajduk's clash with Žalgiris in the Conference League, highlighting the Lithuanian club's key assets.
Croatian coach of Kauno Žalgiris analyzes the defeat to Dinamo for SN and previews Hajduk's clash with Žalgiris in the Conference League, highlighting the Lithuanian club's key assets.
Croatian coach Željko Sopić suffered a heavy defeat with his Kauno Žalgiris on Tuesday away to Dinamo in Zagreb. The Blues won convincingly 5:0 in the third qualifying round of the Champions League, practically securing their place in the play-off. Sopić was honest in his assessment of the opponent's strength for Sportske novosti, but the main topic of conversation was today's match between Hajduk and Žalgiris in Lithuania.
After the heavy defeat, Sopić did not look for excuses. "Dinamo is much better than us, probably the best team in the history of these European qualifiers. We simply got scared of the environment, the atmosphere. We gifted them two or three goals, but that doesn't matter; the opponent was better, and that's it," he said from Lithuania.
However, he added that such matches should serve as experience. "We are aware of our quality, as well as Dinamo's. Therefore, we must not see this as a defeat but as a school, and we need to learn from matches against opponents like Dinamo and Beşiktaş if the club wants to grow. And it has never been hard for me to shake the hand of someone better than me," emphasized the former coach of Rudeš, Dinamo, Gorica, Rijeka, and Osijek.
The focus quickly shifted to the Split side, which faces Žalgiris today at 7 PM in the third qualifying round of the Conference League. Sopić described the opponent in detail. "They currently have the same number of points as us, but we have a game in hand. It's realistic to say that we, they, Suduva, and probably someone else will fight for the Lithuanian title. Their team is well organized, led by Andrius Skerla, one of the best coaches in Lithuania," he said.
He specifically warned about the specific conditions. "They play on artificial turf; that's a significant advantage for them. In the team are former Hajduk players Marko Capan and Petar Bosančić, and their most important player is striker Nikola Petković. The 36-year-old midfielder Juri Kendiš is also important."
In the previous round, Žalgiris showed incredible comeback power. After a 3:0 loss in Georgia, they celebrated 7:2 at home. "They lost that match in Georgia quite naively; they conceded three 'schoolboy' goals, they were all comical, I haven't seen that in a long time. However, at home, they made a 'revolution', winning 7:2, scoring four goals in less than 20 minutes of the second half," Sopić described.
Despite the challenging conditions, Sopić believes in Hajduk's quality. "It's very tricky to talk about a match that will be played on artificial turf, but it's time for Marko Livaja to step up and show that he is Marko Livaja."
He confirmed that he will watch the match from the stands. "I'm going; I'll watch it live with the coaching staff and people from my club." When asked who he will cheer for, he answered in his own style: "Don't insult me! Who should any Croatian cheer for in this match?"
