Justas Lasickas scored his first goal for Rijeka against Rudeš, and now he turns his attention to the European challenge against Ilves on Thursday, August 6, revealing how he copes with Rijeka's scorching heat.
Justas Lasickas, the 28-year-old captain of the Lithuanian national team, needed a full 50 matches to score his first goal for Rijeka. That moment came in the 31st minute of the match against Rudeš in the HNL opener, when he met Toni Fruk's precise cross from the left at the far post and slammed the ball into the net with a first-time finish.
"I know it's a cliché, but the team's victory is what matters most to me. My goal would have meant nothing if we hadn't taken all three points. Of course, it's nice to score-I'd been waiting for it all last season, which was disappointing for me. It's great to score and have the team win," Lasickas told Riječki Novi list.
The Lithuanian made his Rijeka debut on July 22 last year in a goalless draw against Ludogorets at Rujevica, in the first leg of the Champions League second qualifying round, shortly after arriving from Ljubljana's Olimpija. Since then, he has patiently built his role in the squad. In the first match against Derry City, he played only stoppage time, while in the return leg he got nine minutes, but against Rudeš he found himself in the starting XI.
"You always have to be ready-I know that from my own experience. Even when you're not playing. Sometimes you have to be ready for one minute, sometimes for all 90," he emphasized. He also touched on the danger of underestimating opponents: "If you even think you'll win easily, you can very easily end up with no points. Last year, we dropped points that way against Vukovar, which was a good lesson for us."
Lasickas, who has earned 71 caps for Lithuania, particularly highlighted his collaboration with coach Matjaž Kek, whom he first encountered when Kek was managing the Slovenian national team and he was playing for Olimpija.
"It's interesting working with Kek-quite different from how we worked before. He demands discipline, there's a lot of hard work, but it's all for a reason. It's interesting to see a different kind of coach, and I want to learn as much as I can from him. Of course, I heard many stories about him while he was in charge of Slovenia, and I saw that he did great things at EURO 2024. I also knew he's a legend in Rijeka, so it's nice to work with a coach like him," he said.
Born in Vilnius, Lasickas is not accustomed to the high temperatures currently gripping Rijeka, where the mercury will exceed 30 degrees Celsius on Thursday, August 6, when they face Finland's Ilves. For comparison, seven days later in Tampere, temperatures are not expected to exceed 20 degrees.
"I come from a country not exactly known for heat. Now I don't even peek out the window during the day. Even stepping out into these temperatures drains your energy, so I stay indoors. That's why it's good that the match against Rudeš started at 9 PM," he admitted.
Ahead of the clash with Ilves, which kicks off at 8:45 PM, Lasickas doesn't want to talk about the favorite's role: "They're just another team we have to respect. We know it will be a tough match. We'll need to stay focused, do what we need to do, knowing it's a two-legged tie. The good thing is that the HNL second-round match against Dinamo has been postponed, so we'll have enough time to prepare for the return leg."
Finally, the Lithuanian stressed that playing twice a week is a privilege. "If we get knocked out of Europe, we'll only play once a week, and those seven days will feel very long, with lots of training. Right now, we're playing many matches, and that's the beautiful side of football because we have more chances to bring emotions to the fans, which is what matters most."
