FK Kauno Žalgiris will head to Bulgaria with a one-goal deficit after suffering a 0-1 defeat to Arda Kardzhali in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League third qualifying round tie. Despite a passionate home crowd of over 7,500 at Darius and Girėnas Stadium, the evening unraveled early, leaving the Lithuanian side in a challenging position ahead of the return leg.
The match kicked off with immediate drama. Barely two minutes in, midfielder Damjan Pavlović went in hard on Arda’s Georgi Nikolov. Referee initially reached for a yellow card, but after a VAR review, the decision was upgraded to red. Forced to play with ten men for nearly the entire game, Kauno Žalgiris were immediately placed on the back foot.
Despite their numerical advantage, the Bulgarian visitors struggled to make it count in the first half. A few set pieces, including corners from Serkan Yusein and a free kick delivered by Gratas Sirgėdas in the 21st minute, came to nothing. Both teams lacked sharpness in the final third, with Arda managing just three shots and Kaunas only one. The first half ended goalless, 0-0, after four minutes of added time.
The second half started with more attacking intent from Arda. In the 48th minute, Antonio Vutov showcased excellent footwork inside the box, tricking his defender and sending a precise low strike into the net to give the Bulgarian side a 1-0 lead. It proved to be the decisive moment of the match.
Kauno Žalgiris attempted to respond. Just minutes after conceding, Gratas Sirgėdas floated a ball into the penalty area, but it failed to find a target. Even with a men down Žalgiris continued to find some chances as in the 74th minute, Sirgėdas took matters into his own hands with a first-time shot from distance, but it sailed off target.
Dejan Georgijević came closest to equalizing for the hosts when he met a fine cross from Fabien Ourega with a powerful header, but the effort missed the mark. Arda saw out the closing minutes with composure, as four additional minutes of stoppage time ticked away with no further change to the scoreline.
Despite the loss, Kauno Žalgiris showed resilience and created chances even while down a man. However, they now face a must-win situation away in Kardzhali on August 14.
FK Kauno Žalgiris vs Arda – 0:1 (0:0)
Goals: Vutov 53′
KAU: Švedkauskas, Edokpolor (Jurjonas 90+4′), Hernandez, Tolordava, Bah-Traore, Sirgedas, Pavlovic, Ourega (Armanavičius 88′), Benchaib (Jansonas 88′), Chogadze (Paulauskas 81′), Georgijevic (Naah 81′)
