© E. Žaldario
Vilnius's "Žalgiris" becomes the first Lithuanian football team in history to play in the group stage of one of the UEFA international tournaments. On Wednesday, the Lithuanian champions secured a 2-0 victory away from home against "Malmo" in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, winning the series with an overall score of 3-0. The hosts started the match more actively, but the Vilnius team made no mistakes in defense, with goalkeeper Edvinas Gertmonas saving the team several times. Eventually, "Žalgiris" took advantage of their chances and scored in the 34th minute through a counterattack by Mathias Oyewusi. At the beginning of the second half, the Vilnius team dealt another blow to the Swedish champions, doubling their lead in the 52nd minute through Renan Oliveira.
"Malmo" had to finish the match with ten men, as Anders Christiansen received his second yellow card in the 77th minute. This victory not only opened the way for "Žalgiris" to the next stage of the Champions League but also guaranteed them a spot in the group stage of the Conference League at the very least. In the next round of the Champions League qualifiers, Vilnius will face the Norwegian club "Bodo Glimt."
