Why Beşiktaş advanced despite the loss
Beşiktaş lost 0–1 to Kauno Žalgiris in the second leg of the UEFA Europa League play-off on August 27, 2026. However, thanks to their 3–0 first-leg victory on August 20, the aggregate score over the two matches was Beşiktaş 3–1 Kauno Žalgiris.
Therefore, Kauno Žalgiris won the second leg, but Beşiktaş finished ahead in the overall play-off result. UEFA’s official results page explains that the play-off winner advances to the Europa League league phase, and Beşiktaş’s aggregate victory confirmed their place in the next stage.
Kauno Žalgiris won the second leg 1–0, but Beşiktaş’s 3–0 advantage from the first leg determined who advanced.
What Sopić emphasized after the match
Kauno Žalgiris is managed by Željko Sopić. After the match, he acknowledged that there was a very significant difference in quality between Beşiktaş and his team, while saying that Kauno Žalgiris had been the better side in this match.
He also said that this victory did not mean they had advanced in the tie. Although Kauno Žalgiris won the second leg, they were behind Beşiktaş on aggregate and were eliminated from the play-off overall.
Schedule to check next
According to UEFA, the draw for the 2026/27 Europa League league phase was scheduled to take place on August 28, 2026, at 13:00 CET. Before the draw, it was not possible to confirm Beşiktaş’s specific opponents.
The key points from this result are:
- First leg: Beşiktaş 3–0 Kauno Žalgiris
- Second leg: Kauno Žalgiris 1–0 Beşiktaş
- Aggregate: Beşiktaş 3–1 Kauno Žalgiris
- Final result: Beşiktaş advanced to the UEFA Europa League league phase