FK Žalgiris Vilnius head coach Rolandas Džiaukštas admitted his disappointment after his side fell to a dramatic 2-3 defeat against FC Džiugas Telšiai in the opening match of the Toplyga season. Džiugas secured the winning goal in stoppage time, spoiling what had largely been a controlled performance from the champions.
Speaking after the match in a press-conference, Džiaukštas acknowledged that while the game was entertaining for spectators, the result was painful for his team. “There were many goals, so it was interesting for the fans. But of course, we didn’t want this football celebration to end like this,” he said.
Žalgiris twice took the lead and appeared in control for long periods, but defensive lapses proved costly. According to Džiaukštas, the key issue was losing balance in crucial moments.
“The biggest problem is that we want to win, which is positive. But at times we lose our heads. I told the players in the dressing room that we cannot all blindly run forward in attack. We must keep balance. We didn’t have that defensive balance, and we conceded a goal that I would call childish – one we simply cannot allow.”
The coach pointed to specific moments that frustrated him most. The first conceded goal came after losing a basic duel and allowing a throw-in situation to develop into a goal. The second was from a penalty, which he described as unfortunate. However, it was the third and decisive goal that hurt most.
“As a former defender, conceding such simple goals feels like a knife to the heart,” Džiaukštas said. “That is what disappoints me the most.”
Žalgiris began the second half actively and frequently attacked down the right flank, creating several promising situations. However, their territorial advantage did not translate into control of the scoreline.
“In both halves we had good chances. If we convert them, we build real dominance. But we cannot defend like this. If you score two goals and still lose – especially in five minutes – that is unbelievable.”
Despite controlling possession for much of the match, Džiaukštas admitted that this pattern may repeat throughout the season, with opponents allowing Žalgiris to dictate play and looking to punish defensive errors.
“Many teams will play this way against us. They will allow us to control the ball. We want initiative and possession, but we must turn that control into goals. Right now, we have problems defensively. If you score two and still lose, something is wrong.”
Looking ahead, the coach emphasised that the immediate priority is psychological recovery.
“The most important thing now is to recover mentally, forget what happened, and go into the next match with one clear objective. We made the mistakes today – now we must correct them.”
Žalgiris will have a week to regroup before the next round. In their next league match they will host FK Panevežys on Friday.
Source: Toplyga/Youtube
