By Titas Teiten
After FK Kauno Žalgiris secured a memorable place in final stage round of European competition, FK Žalgiris Vilnius delivered another unforgettable night for Lithuanian football, completing a remarkable comeback to book their place in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League.
Following the historic victory, head coach Andrius Skerla reflected on one of the most memorable evenings of his career.
“First thoughts: A lot of people will probably have to cancel the holidays they had planned. I don’t think many expected what happened tonight. This is one of the greatest victories of my coaching career. What I witnessed and experienced today is unlike anything I’ve ever been through as a coach.
The defeat in Tbilisi was painful. Everyone saw the mistakes we made, and there was a great deal of disappointment. But what the players showed today, inspired by our supporters, leaves me speechless. I’m incredibly happy,” said the coach.
Skerla also addressed the missed penalty early in the match, insisting that it never affected his team’s approach or confidence.
“From the very beginning, I felt we controlled possession really well. It seemed that our opponents struggled with the pitch and kept giving the ball away. Perhaps they had already started thinking they were through to the next round. The penalty was part of our plan, but even after we missed it, nothing changed. We stayed true to our game and kept playing the way we intended.”
Despite Dinamo Tbilisi pulling the score back to 3-2 late in the match, the Žalgiris head coach never lost faith that his side would find another goal.
“My only thought was about getting the next goal, and eventually it came. I genuinely believed we would score. I could see the team’s determination, focus, and belief. I also noticed that our opponents became more cautious.
My players fought until the very end. For the first time in my life, I deliberately chose not to make substitutions. Normally, I like to rotate players, but everything was working so well that I was afraid changing anything might disrupt our rhythm. Sometimes football is like that,” noted the coach.
Reflecting on the comeback, Skerla revealed that his coaching staff had drawn inspiration from another dramatic European qualifier played just a day earlier.
“Yesterday’s comeback by Aarhus against Lech Poznań was the perfect example that anything is possible. Our entire coaching staff watched that match and wondered whether we could produce something similar.
I think tonight we created an even more memorable story. Progress comes step by step. The players continue to grow, and victories accelerate that development even further. I’m delighted by the level of competition within the squad.”
Skerla also shared what he told his players at half-time, explaining that he was satisfied with the performance despite the tie still leaving plenty of work to do.
“I was very pleased with our performance in the first half. My main message was to keep playing with the same aggression and intensity. I wanted us to be ready to win the ball back quickly every time we lost it.
I felt we lacked that one quality final pass in the attacking half during the first half. Overall, though, many of the things we had prepared worked exactly as planned. The team played exceptionally well,” said Skerla.
With a place in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League secured, FK Žalgiris will now face Croatian giants Hajduk Split. Looking ahead to the tie, Skerla recalled his previous experience at the club and expressed confidence that his team can compete with one of the region’s biggest names.
“A few years ago, I spent time in Split on a coaching internship with Valdas Dambrauskas at Hajduk. It will be special to return there.
We’ll prepare for these matches the same way we prepare for any other game. We’ll analyze their strengths and weaknesses and develop our plan accordingly.
Yes, Hajduk are a big club, but in football so much depends on desire, commitment, and heart. We’ll see how the quality compares once we step onto the pitch,” talked Skerla.
