The journey of Vilnius "Žalgiris" in the UEFA Champions League selection is over. In the return match, the Lithuanian champions lost 0:1 against Istanbul's "Galatasaray" team.
Dries Mertens scored the only goal of the match in the 31st minute. The Belgian received a pass from the corner post from Kerem Akturkoglu and took a one-touch shot from outside the penalty area. Edwin Gertmon was helpless.
The first match in Vilnius ended 2:2, so "Žalgiris" had to score a goal.
Mathias Oyewusi had the best chances for Žalgiris. The Nigerian ran away alone against goalkeeper Fernando Muslera in the 28th and 66th minutes, but missed the ball in the first case, and hit the 37-year-old Uruguayan in the stomach in the second.
"Galatasaray" also had chances, and D. Mertens, who shot powerfully in the 64th minute, but his shot was saved by E. Gertmons, was the most prominent.
In the 75th minute, the players of "Zalgiris", especially Nasim Hnidus, were heartbroken - referee Willy Delajods showed the defender a straight red card for a foul. Fortunately, common sense prevailed and the red card was changed to a yellow after a VAR review.
The defeat means that Zalgiris will continue its European journey in the third round of the Europa League qualifiers, where Swedish champions Hacken are already waiting. The Swedes unexpectedly fell to Klaksvik from the Faroe Islands in a penalty shoot-out on Wednesday.
The match in Istanbul was historic - it was watched by about 52 thousand people. fans. No Lithuanian club had ever played in front of such a crowd. Until now, the record was the confrontation between FBK "Kaunas" and Glasgow "Rangers" in 2000 - it was watched by 46 thousand spectators at the "Ibrox" stadium. A couple of thousand less watched in 2018. "Sūduva's" duel in Glasgow against "Celtic".
