Kauno Žalgiris - Besiktas UEL Play-Off Summary
- therookiereporters
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
A European meeting that sounds like a Basketball matchup took place on a football pitch. In the Play-Off Round of the Europa League, the Turkish Black Eagles Besiktas took on the Lithuanian Green-Whites Kauno Žalgiris for a spot in the League Phase.
The city of Kaunas is located in southern Lithuania and is famous in the sporting world with its basketball team Žalgiris Kaunas. In fact, the basketball teams of these two sides will meet soon in EuroLeague as well. The football team of the Green-Whites were founded only 22 years ago and tasted domestic success for the first time last season, when they clinched the top flight title, and they’re currently second in the Toplyga, one point behind the leaders with 14 matchdays to go.
They followed their maiden trophy up with the Lithuanian Super Cup victory and found themselves in the First Qualifying Round of the Champions League. Kauno Žalgiris first triumphed against the Kosovan side 4-3 on aggregate and cleared the Faroese champions KÍ Klaksvík on the next stage with 1-0 to guarantee European football this season. However, their UCL run came to a brutal end, as the Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb put 7 goals into their nets and sent Green-Whites to face Besiktas in the UEL Play-Offs.
Their biggest advantage in this matchup is their match sharpness, because unlike Besiktas, who played the first league game of the season on the previous weekend, after opening their 2026/27 account against Midtjylland and Hradec Kralove in UEL, the season in Lithuania has already begun. But compared to Besiktas, Zeljko Sopic’s team possesses a very old squad with no prolific players, not even an old one, who is at the end of his career. Their top scorer is a 28-year old Belgian-Moroccan versatile attacking midfielder called Amine Benchaib and he is considered the Green-Whites’ best asset against the heavy Turkish favourites.
Meanwhile, the Black Eagles entered the new season on a high under Vincenzo Italiano and kept their Europa League form going into their Turkish Super League start against Eyupspor at home with Vaclav Cerny scoring again. Besiktas is unbeaten in all 5 games so far(5 W) and kept a clean sheet in every single game. While impressing with their defensive record and dominant style, the Turkish side finally brought the striker they were looking for.
After his contract came to an end with Juventus, Dusan Vlahovic sailed to a new Black and White destination and reunited with his former coach in Istanbul. In the aftermath of two games watching from the stands, the 26-year old Serbian striker was added to the UEL squad for this round and expected to be given a chance, most likely from the bench, similarly to Leandro Trossard. Under the leadership of Turkish international Orkun Kokcu and the protection of the new signing Alexander Nübel, Besiktas is one step away from the Europa League, standing against the Kaunas representative that is determined to send them down to the Conference League.With a spot in the UEL League Phase at stake, here’s how the Play-Off matchup proceeded between the Black Eagles and the Green-Whites.
First Game
Besiktas hosted the first game in the Bosphorus scenery of Istanbul. The Black Eagles picked up a 3-0 victory over the Lithuanian side and gained a big advantage before the second leg away game. The first two goals came early by Hyeon-gyu Oh’s chipping header in the 6th minute corner and Amir Murillo tap-in in the 12th minute, both assisted by the left-back Ridvan Yilmaz.
And the captain Orkun Kokcu determined the scoreline from the penalty spot in the 59th minute. The new arrival Dusan Vlahovic received his first minutes as a Besiktas player and came very close to a debut goal with a header saved by Tomas Svedkauskas. Much like the previous round, Besiktas were in control of their home game from start to finish and outclassed their opponents in every aspect of the game. Apart from the constant shot bombardment of the Turkish side, they were also relentless at taking back the ball possession and barely left Kauno Žalgiris any breathing room or opportunity to use the ball possession they rarely gained.
Besiktas played so dominant that Kokcu and Trossard were even showing off skills for entertainment. Against such a relentless opponent, the Green-Whites seemed very frustrated after the early goals and spent a tense game with many fouls. In one of them, they forced Trossard off with an injury and tensions rose a little with the Besiktas players sometimes. The Lithuanian side could only get 3 shot attempts without being able to direct any on target, while the Black Eagles were sending 20 shots with 7 of them on target and 3 in the Green-Whites’ nets.
Second Game
The second leg in Kaunas was way more different than the first game, especially in terms of momentum and the scoreline. This time, the Lithuanian side stood victorious with the only goal from Renan Oliveira forcing Tiago Djalo into a mistake in the 64th minute. Both teams were shockingly complacent in this game, as if the tie ended after the first leg or a place in the League Phase wasn’t at stake. In fact, both teams started with many changes to their usual starting elevens, giving play time to the ones that are usually sitting at the bench.
The Green-Whites couldn’t use the chance Amir Murillo gifted them in the first half, but Djalo’s mistake gave them an even clearer opportunity, which ended up fatal for the Black Eagles. Besiktas hit the post in the first half with Ilhan Fakili and couldn’t put the ball into the net, when Cerny and Vlahovic had clear chances in the second half.
These scores conclude the matchup 3-1 on aggregate for Besiktas, who made it into the UEL League Phase. With 2 assists he provided and countless chances he created in the first game, Besiktas’ own Ridvan Yilmaz was the best player of the Black Eagles. It’s safe to say that Trossard settled himself quite well into the team, linking up nicely with players like Kokcu and Yilmaz. Vlahovic made a rather slow debut for the Turkish side, but much like Trossard, he’ll adapt with time and is expected to take his place in the starting eleven soon. With Ernest Poku and Fabio Miretti also joining the team, Besiktas is a candidate to become a dangerous side in the Europa League. However, their complacency in the second leg led them to lose their unbeaten run and clean sheet streak. The Turkish side came to Kaunas without the will to win or score, this might be a dangerous weakness for them. This tie also made clear who are essential in the Black Eagles’ gameplan and who don’t belong in it.
On the other hand, the Green-Whites weren’t considered favourites at all and even Zeljko Sopic raised the white flag after the 3-0 defeat with the rotated second leg squad being proof of it. They got decimated by the Turkish side in Istanbul, however they managed to pull off a big enough upset at home. Maybe if they played with their best squad against such a complacent Besiktas, they could have caused an even bigger shock, like LASK did against Celtic. Rotation could very much be expected from the Black Eagles, but it was strange to see it from Kauno Žalgiris, who still had small hopes coming back to Kaunas. It seems like the Lithuanian side deemed enough to play European football in any competition this season and decided to focus on their upcoming league fixture against the 4th-place FK Banga on Sunday. This result sent Green-Whites down to the UECL League Phase for their continental debut.
Long story short, Besiktas ended up with the victory against Kauno Žalgiris in the UEL Play-Offs over two games and guaranteed their spot in the Europa League. In the League Phase, the UECL champions Crystal Palace and the Scottish champions Celtic await the Black Eagles, alongside Leverkusen, Hoffenheim, Marseille, Union SG, Omonia and Hapoel Beer-Sheva. We’ll see how much the Turkish side will manage to progress in Europe, after their absence last season.
Article written by Emre Albas © Emre Albas 2026
