Just two days after FK Kauno Žalgiris endured a nightmare in Zagreb, it was a similarly difficult evening for FK Žalgiris Vilnius against another Croatian opponent, Hajduk Split. Andrius Skerla’s side suffered a heavy 5-2 defeat in Vilnius, leaving their hopes of progressing in the UEFA Conference League qualifiers extremely slim.
To begin their UEFA Conference League third qualifying round campaign, FK Žalgiris Vilnius named an unchanged starting XI from the side that secured progression against Dinamo Tbilisi in the previous round.
The match got off to the worst possible start for the Lithuanian side, as Hajduk Split were awarded a penalty just four minutes into the contest. Yuri Kendysh was adjudged to have committed the foul, and Michele Šego made no mistake from the spot, calmly converting to give the Croatian side an early lead.
Things nearly went from bad to worse in the 13th minute when Hajduk were awarded a second penalty following a foul by Deividas Šešplaukis. This time, however, fortune favoured FK Žalgiris. Goalkeeper Vincentas Šarkauskas guessed correctly, diving to his right to comfortably save the effort and keep his side within touching distance.
FK Žalgiris found their equaliser in the 35th minute. Ukrainian midfielder Stanislav Bilenkyi delivered a perfectly weighted pass to Nikola Petković, who capitalised on a costly mistake by the Hajduk goalkeeper. The Serbian striker made no mistake with the finish, continuing his excellent goalscoring form this season.
However, the visitors regained the lead just before the interval. Following a foul by Petar Bosančić on Rokas Pukštas, Hajduk were awarded a free-kick in a dangerous position. Michele Šego stepped up and produced a superb strike in the 45th minute, scoring his second goal of the evening to restore his side’s advantage heading into half-time.
Hajduk’s dominance continued unabated. A well-timed run down the left flank by Adrion Pajaziti culminated in an even better finish, as he guided a perfectly placed shot into the far-right corner, leaving Šarkauskas with no chance of making the save.
The visitors soon added a fourth. Dalisson De Almeida needed just a single touch inside the penalty area to extinguish any lingering hopes for the home side. The scoring was rounded off in the 75th minute when Lithuanian-American midfielder Rokas Pukštas surged down the left flank before calmly finishing to make it 5-1.
FK Žalgiris did manage to pull a goal back, albeit only as a consolation. Marko Capan produced a moment of real quality, curling a superb free-kick into the net against the club he represented at youth level.
Hajduk thought they had added a sixth late on when Marin Soticek fired home from just outside the penalty area. The goal was initially awarded, but after a VAR review, it was ruled out, ensuring the match ended 5-2 in the visitors’ favour.
FK Žalgiris Vilnius vs Hajduk Split – 2:5 (1:2)
Goals: M.Šego (HAJ) 5′ | N.Petkovic (ŽAL) 35′ | M.Šego (HAJ) 45′ | A.Pajaziti (HAJ) 55′ | D.Da Almeida (HAJ) 73′ | R.Pukštas (HAJ) 75′ | M.Capan (ŽAL) 86′
ŽAL: V.Šarkauskas, D.Šešplaukis, D.Koy Lupano, P.Bosancic (G.Turda 81′), D.Franke, Y.Kendysh (O.Verbickas 81′), L.Lytvynenko (M.Capan 65′), P.Golubickas (M.Vareika 75′), S.Bilenkyi, B.Teixeira, N.Petkovic (N.Mihajlovic 75′)
HAJ: T.Silic, M.Acapandie, D.Maresic, A.Van Hoorenbeeck (R.Raci 49′), S.Hrgovic, R.Pukštas (N.Sigur 78′), A.Pajaziti, A.Sanyang (A.Šutalo 67′), D.De Almeida (E.Brruti 78′), M.Soticek, M.Šego (M.Livaja 67′)
