Despite seeing Kauno Žalgiris bow out of the UEFA Champions League with a 1-2 home defeat to Dinamo Zagreb and a 1-7 aggregate loss, head coach Željko Sopic said he was proud of his players, praising their courage and attitude while looking ahead to a demanding run of fixtures and a likely UEFA Europa League play-off against Turkish giants Besiktas.
The Croatian coach admitted the overall result was disappointing but insisted the performance in front of a packed Darius and Girėnas Stadium showed the level he expects from his players.
“First of all, I want to say that I’m very happy. Maybe not so happy with the result, but with the willingness we showed in the game. This is something that must be our level in our championship and in Europe.”
“When you play against a better opponent – and Dinamo are a better opponent than us – you have to come onto the pitch and show what you have between your legs. That is all I ask from my players.”
Sopic acknowledged that Dinamo possess greater quality and experience, but felt Kauno Žalgiris responded far better than they had in last week’s first leg in Zagreb.
“Normally we will make mistakes and Dinamo have the quality to punish them immediately. But honestly, I am very proud of how brave we were, how we wanted to compete in duels and play our football.”
“I’m not stupid. I know what kind of problems we have in the team, but today I’m very proud of my players. We lost the game and this is probably the first time in my life that I have said I am proud of my team after a defeat.”
“Dinamo Zagreb is my first and last love in my life. Playing against them was not easy because I was one of them. I worked there, I played there and I was one of the ultras. When they sing their songs, I know every one of them.”
Despite those emotions, he insisted his only focus was on trying to achieve a positive result for Kauno Žalgiris.
“I am the coach of Kauno Žalgiris and I did everything today to achieve a positive result. We didn’t manage it. After the red card we only scored one goal, but I think we had enough good moments that we can build on for future games.”
“This was the best atmosphere since I arrived here,” he said. “Before the match I said that these are the kind of teams you usually only watch on television or if you travel somewhere in the Champions League.”
Although Dinamo were reduced to ten men midway through the first half, Sopic explained why he chose not to make overly aggressive tactical changes.
“Maybe if I had made different decisions we would have been closer to scoring a second goal, but maybe we would also have lost two or three players.”
The Croatian pointed to Kauno Žalgiris’ packed fixture schedule, with ten matches to play before September 20. “The most important thing for me is that our players stay healthy. We have ten games in a row and many players cannot play three full matches every week. We have to think about fitness.”
He also highlighted the progress of several players returning to full condition. “I hope Kalik, Debeljuh, Fiolic and Krekovic will all be fitter in another week’s time. Slivka is also improving. The problem is that we don’t have time to train because we have so many matches.”
“Besiktas are like the Chicago Bulls”
Kauno Žalgiris now continue their European campaign in the UEFA Europa League play-off round, where they are expected to face Turkish giants Besiktas, provided the Turkish side finish the job against Czech club Hradec Kralove on Thursday after taking a 1-0 advantage from last week’s away first leg.
Sopic could hardly hide his excitement at the prospect. “First of all, we must enjoy this. Guys, I don’t know if you understand. We play Conference League and before that we will play against Besiktas.”
“Maybe it’s easier if I explain it like this – for us, Besiktas are like the Chicago Bulls.”
“We will go there in front of 42,000 very passionate fans, represent our country and our club, and I’m very happy and proud that I can be the coach of this team. These are not only huge games for the club, but also some of the biggest of my football career.”
Asked what the biggest lesson from facing Dinamo had been, Sopic pointed to the atmosphere his players experienced.
“We must learn how to play in a very hot atmosphere like today and in Zagreb. We also have to understand that it will be ten times hotter in Istanbul against Beşiktaş.” “Every time in life, if you are clever, you learn something.”
When asked to compare Besiktas and Dinamo Zagreb, Sopic offered a characteristically brief but telling answer.
“Yes, we can compare them,” he smiled. “Dinamo Zagreb would never buy a player like Leandro Trossard from Arsenal. I think that says everything.”
