A Lyga leaders FK Kauno Žalgiris’ hopes of advancing past the third qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League were dashed as they fell 0:2 away to Bulgaria’s Arda Kardzhali, exiting the competition 0:3 on aggregate.
The match got off to a nightmare start for the Lithuanian side. In the 8th minute, Dimitar Velkovski opened the scoring with a stunning long-range strike, setting the tone for Arda’s dominance. Just four minutes later, Svetoslav Kovachev doubled the lead, leaving Žalgiris struggling to recover.
The first half grew even more chaotic for Kauno Žalgiris. In the 34th minute, Divine Naah received a red card – the second European game in a row in which the team saw a player sent off – reducing Žalgiris to ten men. Before halftime, midfielder Temur Chogadze also saw red, leaving the Lithuanian side severely handicapped and with almost no chance of mounting a comeback.
The second half failed to bring any reprieve, with both teams unable to add to the scoreline. Arda advanced to the next stage, while Žalgiris’ European journey came to an early and disappointing end.
Arda vs FK Kauno Žalgiris – 2:0 (2:0) – 3:0 on aggregate
Goals: Velkovski 8′, Kovachev 12′
KAU: Švedkauskas, Bah-Traore, Tolordava (Kerkez 46′), Hernandez, Edokpolor (Jurjonas 62′), Naah, Sirgedas (Armanavičius 46′), Chogadze, Benchaib (Černych 46′), Ourega (Paulauskas 46′), Georgijevic
