“The biggest problem is that we want to win, which is positive. But at times we lose our heads.”
Those were the words of Rolandas Džiaukštas after FK Žalgiris suffered a 2-3 defeat against Džiugas Telšiai in the opening match of the 2026 Toplyga season, and they perfectly summed up the night when you know the context.
What was the context? Here it is.
Žalgiris were 2-1 up in the second half after substitute Nikola Petkovič found the net. In the closing stages, an unfortunate handball allowed Džiugas to equalise from the penalty spot. It was not a surprise that Vilnius club went all-in. For a title contender, pushing for a winner in stoppage time is natural, but there has to be control. In the fifth minute of added time, Džiugas were defending deep and cleared the ball under heavy pressure. The clearance reached the centre of the pitch where no Žalgiris defenders was positioned with all of them thinking about attack. The unlucky one who was the closest to the ball in his first official match for the club, Georgian defender Saba Mamatashvili was left in a foot race with English striker Ronald Sobowale. Sobowale, despite having played the full match and burning a lot of energy running without the ball, used his physical strength to win the duel, and with the last ounce of strenght he willingly pushed himself for the opportunity to go through one-on-one and calmly beat Venezuelan goalkeeper Carlos Olses to secure the winning goal. That is the context.
Looking back, this type of chaotic ending would not have been surprising with last season’s Žalgiris team, a campaign marked by turbulence and scandals involving former club director Vilma Venslovaitienė and long-time manager Vladimir Cheburin, who won multiple titles with the Vilnius club. But this is not that team. This is Rolandas Džiaukštas’ team and he knows they have to be better.
Because the 47-year-old coach knows what Žalgiris represents. He began his professional career at the club and finished it there in 2008 after returning from abroad. A Lithuanian international with 40 caps, he spent over a decade as a professional player, operating as a centre-back. Conceding goals in that manner clearly hurt him, and he admitted after the match that it “felt like a knife to the heart.”
For Džiaukštas, this role is his first major opportunity as a head coach. He started his coaching career as an assistant at FK Utenis and later spent three years as an assistant at Žalgiris under Valdas Dambrauskas and Valdas Urbonas. He also worked within the Lithuanian national team setup, serving with the U-21 side and briefly assisting the senior national team. In October 2023, he returned to Žalgiris as Academy Manager, waiting for his opportunity. When the position opened following Cheburin’s departure, he took it, calling it a dream come true. At the time of his interim appointment, he said, “I have several ideas I want to introduce that could help us improve results.”
And oh boy, was he not wrong as the impact was immediate. Žalgiris went unbeaten in the first eight matches under his leadership and his new ideas. Romanian striker Liviu Antal, a club legend with more than 100 goals, scored in each of those eight games and spoke positively about Džiaukštas, describing him as someone he had known since 2017 and expressing happiness for him in his first time as head coach. The first defeat of Džiaukštas’ managerial career came only in the final match of last season against Panevėžys, but it was enough to save the almost failed season with bronze in the league and the opportunity to play in the Conference League in the summer.
Looking at it now, as we are in February with the new league season starting, the frustration of the opening defeat is amplified by the numbers for the coach who signed a two-year deal in the offseason to become the club’s permanent manager. Žalgiris generated 4.21 expected goals, the highest figure of Matchday 1 in the Toplyga. From a statistical perspective, it was a match they should have won. The attacking structure produced chances consistently, sometimes lacking quality in the final third, but defensive organisation in decisive moments failed them.
The season has just begun. Defensive work needs refinement, particularly in managing transitions late in matches. However, the quality, experience and attacking output suggest that Žalgiris remain one of the strongest sides in the league. If any team can seriously challenge defending champions FK Kauno Žalgiris this season, it is Žalgiris Vilnius with Rolandas Džiaukštas in charge.
