Ž. Sopičius: it wasn't easy to play on artificial turf.

2026-07-22 08:52 © Alamy

The Lithuanian champions FK "Kauno Žalgiris” football players return from the Faroe Islands after drawing with the local "Klaksvik” team (0:0) at the beginning of the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, and after the match, the head coach Željko Sopič shared his thoughts.

"I have to say that the result is positive. Of course, during the match I was dissatisfied and emotional on the bench, but it is not easy to play on this artificial turf. Of course, this is not an excuse, but this pitch is one of the smallest I have seen. They play with long passes and second balls, so we have to fight for them. In the first half, we dominated and played good football without real chances, as in the last third of the pitch you have to create something special, and they kept 10 players behind the ball. On the other hand, we don't want to put too much pressure on our players in attack, as we know they play with long passes. Ultimately, we have to stick together, as we will now play in our stadium, and I remain positive that we will manage to get through this stage. It is also very important to me that we will have five training days,” said Ž. Sopič.

The coach also shared comments on the opponents' gameplay.

"No, they really didn’t surprise me. I knew they would defend and wait for opportunities. Naturally, we cannot press them for the entire match, and they are used to playing on this small pitch. We played well, not perfectly, but well, so I think the result is positive, and now we will give our all to get through this stage,” added the strategist.

After the meeting, defender Anton Tolordava shared his comments.

"I believe everything is positive, as it is not easy for either team to play here, especially on artificial turf. The weather conditions were also different, as it was windy throughout the match. They play differently and have prepared numerous set pieces, throw-ins from the sidelines, and long passes. The pitch is also smaller, so I think the result is positive because we will have the second leg at home, and now everything will be in our hands,” replied A. Tolordava.

The Žalgiris player also talked about the different aspects of the match.

"Such is football – in the first half we tried to press them. Of course, we had opportunities to do this in the second half as well, but that’s football – sometimes you have to play like this and calm down. It is normal. We expected this kind of play from them, we watched video and analyzed their game, so we were prepared,” added the Žalgiris player.

The return match and the struggle for entry into the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League will take place on July 29 at 18:50 at the central stadium of Jonavos city, Žeimių g. 17, Jonava.