By Titas Teiten
With Lithuanian clubs already underway in their European qualifying campaigns, one team is still preparing to begin its continental journey. FK Panevėžys, winners of the 2025 Lithuanian Cup, will enter the UEFA Conference League from the second qualifying round.
The club from Aukštaitija earned its place in Europe thanks to a memorable night on 28 September 2025. Striker Ariagner Smith scored the only goal of the Lithuanian Cup final, securing the trophy and, with it, European qualification. After finishing sixth in the TOPLYGA, lifting the cup represented Panevėžys’ only route back onto the continental stage. And they seized the opportunity.
The picture in 2026, however, has been far less encouraging. The campaign began with a narrow 1-0 defeat to Lithuanian champions FK Kauno Žalgiris in the Super Cup in February. While that result alone was hardly alarming, it proved to be the beginning of a difficult spell. A disappointing start to the TOPLYGA season led to the departure of head coach Roland Vrabec in March, just a few matches into the campaign. He was replaced by Finnish manager Toni Korkeakunnas, but despite signs of improvement, including 2-1 victories over FK Žalgiris Vilnius and FK TransINVEST, consistency has remained elusive.
With the league reduced to nine teams following FK Riteriai’s withdrawal, Panevėžys currently sit eighth in the standings, a position that falls well below expectations for a squad that, on paper, possesses enough quality to compete for the European places. Their difficulties have extended beyond the league as well. Unlike last season’s triumphant cup run, this year’s Lithuanian Cup campaign ended in disappointment with a quarter-final elimination at the hands of second-tier side FK Minija.
The team’s inconsistency has therefore become impossible to ignore. Yet amid a challenging domestic season, a significant opportunity now presents itself: European football. Panevėžys will face Kazakhstan’s Tobol FC in the second qualifying round of the Conference League. Tobol finished third in the Kazakhstan Premier League last season, but, much like their Lithuanian opponents, they have struggled to replicate that form this year and currently find themselves in 9th place. That could provide Panevėžys with the perfect opportunity to use their European campaign as a turning point and inject much-needed momentum into their season.
Ahead of those crucial European fixtures, Baltic Football News spoke with FK Panevėžys left-back Joel Bopesu. The 31-year-old, who previously established himself as one of the standout foreign players at FK Žalgiris Vilnius, reflected on his return to Lithuanian football, his adaptation to life back in the country, the team’s current struggles, and the challenge that awaits in Europe.
After spending several seasons in Vilnius, you decided to join Panevėžys. How has it been returning to Lithuania? How did you adapt, both to the club and to the city?
It’s true that I spent some great years in Vilnius. So, naturally, I already knew Lithuania: the climate, the people, the fans, the atmosphere. FK Panevėžys is a completely different club with different ambitions. That said, it’s still a very ambitious club.
As for the city, it’s obviously not Vilnius. It’s a bit quieter and more rural, if you can put it that way. But the club has a very family-oriented atmosphere, which pleasantly surprised me. The expectations are extremely high. You’re expected to get good results all the time, otherwise people feel something isn’t right.
I am lucky enough to have a few French teammates, and whenever you have people you can speak French with, it’s always a positive. It helps you settle in much faster. As for the Lithuanian players, I’d already played against most of them before, so they knew me. They made me feel welcome straight away.
I was coming off a difficult season in Armenia with Pyunik. I wasn’t getting much playing time, so my priority when I joined the club was simply to get back on the pitch regularly.
So far, the season hasn’t gone the way the club had hoped. How do you explain the difficulties you’ve faced since the beginning of the campaign?
There are a lot of factors. Just because you have good players doesn’t mean the team chemistry will click immediately. Considering the quality we have, it’s been a huge disappointment and, honestly, a surprise.
We work very hard in training, but sometimes all it takes is a poor start to the season. Then you’re constantly chasing the teams above you in the table, and it becomes difficult to recover. We lacked cohesion and understanding early on. Once you lose your first few games, the psychological side comes into play. I think that aspect has been handled less well here at Panevėžys than it was when I was at Žalgiris.
There were also several departures compared to last season, so the team lost its core. Whether you like it or not, clubs that consistently finish first or second usually keep a backbone of 10 to 15 players. Here, there were a lot of changes.
I’m not looking for excuses, but if I had to explain why we’ve struggled, those would be the main reasons.
As a player, how do you cope when results aren’t meeting expectations? Does it change the way you work every day?
Personally, I’m a competitor. In situations like this, you have two choices: either you give up, or you tell yourself things can’t continue this way. I see it as a challenge.
I always tell the squad that we don’t belong where we are in the table. But talking is one thing. When you’re on the pitch, you have to prove it. The gap between us and first place isn’t that big. It can come down to just a few matches.
We know we’re already well into the season, but things can still change very quickly. Several quality players have recently joined the club, so if we all have the right mentality, we can achieve something special.
In my opinion, our season isn’t about individual quality. When I look at the players we have, I’d say our problems have been collective.
The club changed head coach quite early in the season. In your opinion, what are the main differences between the two coaches? What has the new manager brought, whether tactically, in his management style or in the team’s mentality?
We definitely weren’t expecting a coaching change so early. The previous coach had recruited his own players, so naturally, when he left, some players also lost playing time. To be completely honest, I’m one of those players. Unfortunately, that’s football. But I’ve never looked for excuses because of that.
Things have gone relatively well with the new coach too. He makes his own decisions, that’s part of being professional. As long as he’s honest with me and continues communicating the way he does, I have no problem with that.
He has a completely different vision of football. Imagine starting the season with one playing style, then having a new coach arrive with a totally different philosophy. You have to adapt all over again. It’s almost like starting from scratch.
Within the squad, the atmosphere is excellent. There’s nothing negative to say about that. But when results don’t come, everyone starts wondering what’s going wrong. Football is a results-driven sport. It doesn’t matter how well everyone gets along when we’re still second from bottom.
Despite this difficult start, have the objectives set at the beginning of the season remained the same, or have they changed?
I’ve been through difficult situations many times in my career. At Riga, there was a point when we were seventh before eventually winning the league. At Žalgiris, the only season that really started well was 2022. In the other seasons, we were fourth or fifth at different stages.
I know how quickly things can change. I genuinely believe that, and I hope my teammates do too. We just need to become consistent again. Once we know we’re capable of beating anyone, then we have to prove it.
We’ll see how we respond. In another nine or ten matches, we’ll have a much clearer idea of whether we’ve really turned things around. Right now, it’s still difficult to say.
On a personal level, how would you assess your season so far? Are you satisfied with your performances, or do you feel you can still show much more?
I think you can always do better. Even during my best seasons, I was always looking for ways to improve. I’ve never tried to question or dwell on a coach’s decisions, that has never been my mentality. But the reality is simple: if you want to make a difference, you have to be on the pitch.
Personally, I’m fully fit. I’ve been in good condition for the past two or three months. The coach has made his choices, and I respect them.
For me, it’s been quite a radical change. I joined because the previous coach wanted me and told me I would play. Then a new coach arrived, and now I find myself on the bench. I’m not surprised, though, because that’s football. A coach has his own vision, and that’s just the way it is.
You’ll now face Tobol in the UEFA Conference League qualifiers. Have you already analysed the team? What are you expecting from this two-legged tie?
I’ve already started watching them. I have friends who’ve played in Kazakhstan, like Hugo Vidémont. We spoke a lot, and I know the Kazakh league has plenty of quality players. It’s a very competitive championship, and Tobol are a big club. They’re usually among the top four teams in the country.
This season they’re lower in the standings, so in that sense they’re in a similar situation to us. Given the resources they have, especially financially, I expect a very difficult tie against a very strong team. Maybe they’re struggling domestically, but European football is a completely different competition.
The long trip to Kazakhstan is often mentioned as an important factor. Do you think it could influence the tie, either for your team or for your opponents?
As a player, it definitely has an impact. I remember playing for Žalgiris against Balkani in Kosovo. The two matches were completely different. In the first leg at their stadium, they must have had around 80% possession, I’m not exaggerating. They could easily have scored seven or eight goals. But when they came to Lithuania, the conditions were completely different. It was cooler, and we played on artificial turf.
So yes, I genuinely think those factors matter. That’s why the first leg in Panevėžys is so important. Would we have preferred to face a team closer to home? Not really, because in the end, everything is decided on the pitch.
More broadly, what would represent a successful European campaign for Panevėžys this season? How far do you think this team can go?
Speaking personally, although I think every competitor would say the same thing, our objective is to reach the group stage. We’re already in the second qualifying round, so simply saying, “We want to get through one round,” wouldn’t be enough.
A lot of people tell me that because we’re almost at the bottom of the league table, we have no chance of achieving anything in Europe. My answer is always the same: with the players we have, we genuinely have what it takes to reach the group stage.
The challenge is making everything come together and building the right team chemistry. European football is decided by very small details. It’s only a handful of matches. That’s our objective.
Finally, if you had one message for the Panevėžys supporters ahead of these European fixtures, what would it be?
I’d tell them to come and support us. We want them to be our twelfth man. We know this hasn’t been the season anyone expected, and our start has been disappointing. But knowing that your supporters are always behind you means a lot.
We’ll give everything we have on the pitch and never give up. We know how important this club is to the fans, and we have to keep fighting. Sometimes things don’t go your way, but if you keep believing and keep battling, you can still achieve something special.
