Zagreb's Inferno Swallows Lithuanian Dreams: Dinamo Crushes Kauno Žalgiris
The Croatian champions dismantled the visitors 5-0 at Maksimir, and Lithuanian media were ruthless in their criticism. The return leg in Kaunas is a mere formality.
The Croatian champions dismantled the visitors 5-0 at Maksimir, and Lithuanian media were ruthless in their criticism. The return leg in Kaunas is a mere formality.
At Maksimir on August 4, 2026, before 12,000 spectators, Dinamo recorded a convincing 5-0 (2-0) victory over Lithuania's Kauno Žalgiris in the first leg of the Champions League third qualifying round. The visitors, led by Croatian coach Željko Sopić and featuring four Croatian players, offered no serious resistance. It is already clear that the Croatian champions can calmly plan for the play-offs, especially since Kauno Žalgiris showed significantly weaker play than Thun in the previous round.
The Blues set the tempo from the first minute, but the first real chance came only in the 13th minute. Luka Stojković shot from an angle from ten meters out, but the visitors' goalkeeper Tomas Švedkauskas made a brilliant save. However, the pressure paid off in just two minutes. As Klikni.hr reports, Miha Zajc scored from 18 meters in the 32nd minute to make it 1-0, while Index.hr notes it was in the 31st minute. Just a minute later, Scott McKenna, following a cross from Pérez Vinlöf into the six-yard box, doubled the lead to 2-0, with a deflection off the visitors' player Benchaiba.
In the second half, the Blues increased the pressure even further. Mateo Lisica calmly slotted the ball into the net from ten meters in the 51st minute to make it 3-0. Five minutes later, Dion Drena Beljo headed against the crossbar, but Švedkauskas was again in fine form. Kauno Žalgiris threatened for the first time only in the 67th minute through Franco Baldassarre, whose 30-meter strike hit the junction of post and bar.
Dinamo did not let up. In the 76th minute, Luka Stojković received the ball from Mišić and, from the edge of the box, found the left corner for 4-0. The final 5-0 was set by Lukas Kačavenda in stoppage time (90+4), scoring on the second attempt in a counterattack. The referee was Belgium's Lambrechts.
After the heavy defeat, Lithuanian media did not hold back in their criticism. TV3's portal wrote: "A lesson learned. Kauno Žalgiris burned in Zagreb's inferno," adding that "Dinamo crushed the Lithuanian champions and inflicted a painful defeat 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 Lithuania's Delfi, which stated: "Dinamo shamelessly buried Kauno Žalgiris's Champions League dreams," concluding that their champions would need a miracle in the return leg.
"The North sings the city's most beautiful ballad 💙," posted the official GNK Dinamo Twitter profile alongside a photo of Luka Stanzl.
The return leg takes place in a week in the Lithuanian city of Kaunas, kicking off at 7 PM. Given the commanding 5-0 from the first leg, Dinamo's progression to the Champions League play-offs, where they will most likely face Norway's Viking, is practically assured.
