Kaunas Žalgiris advance to Champions League third round with president in attendance

FK Žalgiris Kaunas narrowly defeated Faroese side KÍ Klaksvík 1-0 in Jonava on Tuesday, securing a place in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League. The decisive goal came in the 83rd minute when Croatian forward Leon Kreković converted a fine pass from Belgian-Moroccan midfielder Amin Benchaib. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda attended the match in person, alongside 2,500 spectators.

In the next round, Žalgiris will face Dinamo Zagreb. Even if they lose, the Lithuanian champions are guaranteed a spot in the group stage of one of UEFA's club competitions – either the Champions League, Europa League, or Conference League.

The last time a Lithuanian club played in the group stage of a European competition was in 2022, when Vilnius Žalgiris reached the UEFA Europa Conference League. They finished bottom of their group with five points, behind Slovan Bratislava, Basel, and Pyunik Yerevan.

Klaksvík will now compete in the UEFA Europa League, where they will face the loser of the tie between AGF Aarhus and Lech Poznań.

In another second-round match, Kairat Almaty advanced past Omonoia Nicosia on penalties (6-5) after a 1-1 aggregate score (0-1 first leg, 1-0 second leg). This marks Kairat's second consecutive qualification to the Champions League third round. Omonoia drops into the Europa League, where they will meet Lincoln Red Imps of Gibraltar.