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"Lithuanians, bow down to the Polish lords!" - such a chauvinistic poster greeted Vilnius "Žalgiris" in Poznan before the return leg of the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round match against local "Lech". However, the "great gentlemen" were left empty-handed - the Vilnius team for the first time in Lithuanian football history reached the knockout stages.
Despite celebrating a 2-1 victory in front of 25,000 spectators, the hosts were not worthy of it: both goals, which greatly strained the nerves of the "green and white" fans, were scored at the end of the match. Up to that point, "Žalgiris" successfully imposed their game tempo on the opponents and had opportunities to secure the lead, but just before the final whistle of the referee, they created unnecessary problems and almost let the victory slip away.
The draw for the knockout stage, which will be followed by group stage matches, will take place tomorrow at 14:00 in Nyon.
In the first leg match in Vilnius, where the city's residents celebrated a 1-0 victory, they had to fight tooth and nail away to achieve a favorable result, but along with the long-awaited moment of triumph came with the final whistle of the referee.
The scoreboard showing 2-1 opened the doors for "Žalgiris" to the dreamed-of fourth round of the Europa League qualification, separating the team from historic entry into the tournament's group stage.
After losing the match, but winning the war, the Vilnius team dealt the decisive blow in a fierce battle after playing for half an hour.
During one of the counterattacks, Rytis Leliūga sent the ball into the corner of the goal with a precise shot in the 29th minute, causing the "Lech" club footballers and their entire army of fans to grab their heads.
Desperately trying to soften the result, the hosts, considered favorites, launched a final assault as the clock ticked to the last minutes of the match. Just before the end of regular match time, Lukasz Teodorczyk's shot brought back the intrigue.
The tension reached its peak in the 90th minute when Luka Peric scored an own goal, trying to save the team from a dangerous pass from the opponents.
As the toughest moments of the match approached, the "green and white" did not falter. The Lithuanian team's players tried to keep the ball in their control for as long as possible, and after coming on as a substitute on the field, Andrius Velička tried several times to outwit the "Lech" club goalkeeper.
Although unsuccessful, "Žalgiris" went through the drama and danced the dance of victory in Poznan with a small group of their most loyal fans.
Poznan "Lech" 2 - 1 Vilnius "Žalgiris" (first leg 0-1, aggregate score 2-2, "Žalgiris" advances to the next stage due to an away goal) 29' [0 - 1] R.Leliūga 87' [1 - 1] L.Teodorczyk 90' [2 - 1] L.Perič (own goal)
After the final whistle, A.Velička ("Žalgiris") and L.Teodorczyk ("Lech") received red cards.
"Žalgiris": Vitkauskas; Vaitkūnas, Skerla, Perič, Freidgeimas; Žulpa, Leliūga (88' Kanai), Kuklys, Šilėnas (64' Janušauskas), Komolov - Bilinski (69' Velička);
