Croatian coach Željko Sopić led Lithuanian Kauno Žalgiris to the 3rd qualifying round of the Champions League, where on August 4th at Maksimir they will face Dinamo. After a historic celebration, he warned of serious problems with the transfer window in Lithuania.
Kauno Žalgiris secured a place in the 3rd qualifying round of the Champions League after defeating Klaksvik from the Faroe Islands 1-0 in the second leg of the 2nd qualifying round. The only goal of the match, played on July 30, 2026, was scored by Croatian forward Leon Kreković in the 85th minute, bringing the Lithuanian club a historic European success and a clash with Dinamo. The day before, the Zagreb club eliminated Swiss side Thun 4-3 on aggregate, as reported by Dnevno.hr.
Kauno Žalgiris has thus already secured at least a place in the league phase of the Conference League, and the ensuing celebration could not have taken place without coach Željko Sopić in the leading role. Telegram.hr reports a video from a restaurant showing the Croatian expert climbing onto a table and conducting the song "Freed From Desire" while the players joined in with shouts of "Sopa on fire."
After the celebration, Sopić spoke about the upcoming duel with the Croatian champions. He told Dnevno.hr: "I'll be honest with you, I was born in Zagreb. From the first day of my life, I have been a Dinamo fan and I will be until I die. I played there, coached the second team, and was interim coach of the first team. For people born in Zagreb, Dinamo means everything." However, he emphasized that his team will give their all despite the big difference in budgets and quality.
Sopić, however, devoted most of his media address to the problems clubs face in Lithuania. Net.hr quotes his words: "I am very happy in Lithuania, but I don't understand some things. I am a football coach, I don't understand how it's possible that our association closes the transfer window on July 15. It is the association of all clubs, and we play the league to qualify for Europe. When we reach Europe, we want to achieve the best result for Lithuanian football. Yes or no? And then they should help us."
He stated that he is not a magician and cannot bring players "off the street" because they need at least 30 to 45 days to prepare. He compared the situation to Scandinavian countries, which have a longer open transfer window even though they play a summer season. "I hope that in the future, for the sake of Lithuanian football, and not for my sake, they will reconsider this matter," he said.
The Kauno Žalgiris coach also commented on the fact that the pitch was occupied due to a concert and that the team had only one training session on it before the crucial match. Although the boys on the pitch brought the club and the city four times more money than the concert, the trip to the stadium in traffic takes an hour and 10 minutes. "It's not perfect, but the most important thing is that we won," said Sopić.
He announced talks with the club president about bringing in reinforcements, but warned that due to the closed transfer window, they can only sign free agents. He emphasized that his team will get eight days off in September, regardless of results, because the players need to spend time with their families after a long season.
The first match of the 3rd qualifying round of the Champions League between Dinamo and Kauno Žalgiris will be played on August 4, 2026, at Maksimir at 7 PM, while the return leg is on August 11 in Jonava, about thirty kilometers from Kaunas. In the Lithuanian team, alongside Kreković, also plays former Dinamo player Ivan Fiolić, which adds extra spice to this Croatian clash in Europe.
