"Zalgiris" Coach Zubas: "Salzburg" - a team of a different level © EuroFootball.com

Vilnius "Žalgiris" coach Marekas Zubas admitted that his players are not yet ready to beat such a powerful opponent in good form as "Salzburg".

In the first match of the Europa League knockout stage, the Žalgiris team lost 0-5 to the Austrian champions on the road and shattered hopes of reaching the group stage.

They hope for a respectable return match.

"It was obvious to see the difference in level and class on the field," said the specialist from Poland. "We saw what it means to face an opponent who plays aggressively, maintains a high pace, but remains effective. We know where we are and we have received a good lesson. We need to learn from all of this."

He added: "In Vilnius, we will try to play differently and show a different side of us, but for "Salzburg" after this victory it will be an easy journey."

In Lithuania, "Žalgiris" should be supported by a large army of supporters, as the majority of tickets for the match were sold out last week. The atmosphere should be different than in Salzburg, where a stadium with 31 thousand seats was only filled a quarter of the way.

Meanwhile, "Salzburg" coach Roger Schmidt was delighted with the victory: "Today we played excellently and left the opponents practically no chances. Midfielders Stefan Ilsanker and Stefan Hierlander played particularly well. We could have won by a bigger margin, because there were definitely chances to score."

Jonathan Soriano, who scored three goals, agreed: "We needed a win and a good result, which we achieved. I think we left a great impression on the fans. However, we cannot relax - we have to play well in the return match."