On Tuesday night, FK Žalgiris were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round in heartbreaking fashion, falling to Malta’s “Ħamrun Spartans” in a dramatic penalty shootout. Vladimir Cheburin after the game offered his comments on the match.
Žalgiris had entered the second leg in a strong position after a commanding 2–0 home win in the first match. However, the return leg in Malta saw the hosts mount a fierce comeback. After 90 minutes of regulation, the scoreline was reversed — 2–0 in favor of Ħamrun — forcing extra time.
No goals were scored during the additional 30 minutes, setting the stage for a nerve-wracking penalty shootout that turned into an epic marathon. An incredible 28 penalties were taken before the Maltese side finally emerged victorious.
In the 114th minute of the second leg, Žalgiris defender Vasilij Radenović received his second yellow card for a foul, reducing the visitors to ten men. Despite being down a player, Žalgiris managed to stay disciplined and push the game to penalties.
After the match, head coach Vladimir Cheburin shared his thoughts on the performance and the gut-wrenching shootout:
“The first half didn’t go as planned. We didn’t fully execute what we had prepared. The opponent had the upper hand, put pressure on us, and took advantage of a couple of chances — one goal came from our mistake, the second from a lapse in focus, something we had specifically warned against.
In the second half, we tried to get back into the game. There was great desire, and we brought on fresh legs, taking the weather conditions into account. But the opponents were well-prepared and played with momentum. The two goals created pressure, and the match could have ended differently.
After the red card at the end of extra time, we had to play a man down, but we managed to stay fairly disciplined.
Penalties are often described as a lottery, but they require concentration. If you lose that focus and miss two chances… that’s a problem. Unfortunately, we’re not the ones going through. That’s the situation,” Cheburin concluded.
The Lithuanian champions will now continue their European campaign in the UEFA Conference League qualifiers.
