Žalgiris Edge Past Beşiktaş in Europa League Play-offs
Žalgiris Kaunas beat Beşiktaş 1:0 in the UEFA Europa League Play-offs at the Stepanas Darius and Stasys Girėnas stadium on 27 August 2026. The Lithuanian side had lost their previous meeting 3:0 in Turkey, so this result carried weight. Renan Oliveira ended Žalgiris's barren spell with a goal in the 64th minute that decided the tie.
A. Kalik picked up a yellow card in the 28th minute as Beşiktaş pressed early. The visitors dominated possession at 72% but managed only four shots on target compared to Žalgiris's two. Beşiktaş made several changes around the hour mark — D. Vlahovic, V. Cerny and J. Olaitan all came on in quick succession in the 65th minute.
And here's the thing about the statistics. Žalgiris had just 28% possession and 300 total passes, but they created 2 big chances while their opponents created none. The xG figures were remarkably close — 0.68 for Žalgiris against 0.48 for Beşiktaş. Those shots off target and blocked efforts tell you the visitors ran out of ideas.
K. Kayra Yilmaz received a yellow card in the 85th minute as Beşiktaş searched for an equaliser. I. Fakili and K. Kayra Yilmaz were paired up in a double substitution in the 86th minute, but the damage was done. Žalgiris made their own changes — G. Debeljuh and I. Fiolic both came off in the second half.
The victory was crucial for Žalgiris after that heavy defeat in Istanbul. Beşiktaş had won their last three games before this — against Eyüpspor and twice against Hradec Králové — so they came in confident. Instead they found themselves chasing a game they could not win.
