It’s been a busy day for FK Žalgiris – Lithuania’s A Lyga bronze medalists not only announced the arrival of a new majority shareholder, businessman Tadas Burgaila, but also confirmed Rolandas Džiaukštas as the club’s new permanent head coach.
The 47-year-old Lithuanian specialist has signed a two-year contract with the Vilnius side after impressing in a caretaker role. Džiaukštas took over the team in early September following the dismissal of long-time coach Vladimir Cheburin, and led Žalgiris to an impressive turnaround – securing qualification for next year’s European competitions and finishing third in A Lyga.
This was Džiaukštas’ first experience as a head coach at club level, having previously managed Lithuania’s U-17 national team. His debut in top-flight club football could hardly have gone better: under his guidance, Žalgiris collected seven wins, one draw, and suffered just one defeat in nine matches – a 1-3 loss to FK Panevėžys in the final round.
When Džiaukštas took charge, Žalgiris seemed destined to miss out on European qualification. However, a strong run of form lifted the team to third place, earning them the league’s final European spot.
A familiar face in Vilnius, Džiaukštas both began and ended his playing career with Žalgiris, and now returns to the club’s helm aiming to restore it to the top of Lithuanian football.
Source: https://fkzalgiris.lt/r-dziaukstas-lieka-zalgirio-trenerio-poste/
