In winter, the talented 22-year-old Croatian who arrived in Vilnius was one of the most notable “Žalgiris” offseason signings.
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But the midfielder has not yet managed to justify the expectations placed on him.
While he played 20 matches and scored three goals in the Top League, the Croatian’s minutes in the UEFA Conference League qualifiers have gradually diminished.
He played 85 minutes against “Petrovac,” but in the return match he was on the pitch for only 24 minutes, in the first match against Tbilisi “Dinamo” he played just 22, and in the miracle match last week he entered the field only during added time, when everything was already clear.
“I feel better every day. The most important thing is that the team improves every day,” M. Capanas said, dismissing thoughts about his reduced role. “After the last matches, we are very confident and will do everything to win in these games. When I arrived, I was not going through the best period, but I think everyone needs time to get used to it. Now that we have been playing together for quite some time, things are falling into place and everything is getting better.”
Although he played little, last week he experienced an impressive emotional rollercoaster when “Žalgiris,” returning from Tbilisi with a three-goal deficit, responded to “Dinamo” with a 7:2 victory and miraculously advanced to the next stage.
“It’s hard to describe because such matches are special,” M. Capanas tried to express his feelings after the last game. “Before the match, you don’t expect something like this to happen. That’s why we love football, because everything is possible in it. You can fight until the very last referee’s whistle, and that’s exactly what happened.”
Just a few hours after “Žalgiris” victory, the Vilnius team’s opponent was revealed. It became “Hajduk,” which greatly pleased the “Žalgiris” Croatian.
From 2020 to 2023, he developed in the youth system of Split’s “Hajduk,” and from 2024 to 2026 he also represented the main team. However, he played only five matches before moving to “Žalgiris.”
“I didn’t expect it, but that’s life. I am very happy that we are playing against ‘Hajduk,’ my former team. I think it will be a good match. We will enjoy it and try to win. But even six months ago, I couldn’t have dreamed this would happen,” the Croatian said about the upcoming encounter.
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- “Žalgiris” and “Hajduk” match – Thursday at 8 p.m. at “Žalgiris” home stadium;
- The return match on August 13 will be played in Split;
- The winner of this pair will compete in the decisive fourth round of the Conference League qualifiers against Stockholm’s “Hammarby” (Sweden) or Częstochowa’s “Raków” (Poland).
He can perfectly explain what “Hajduk” means to Croatians. Despite the fact that the Split team has not been national champions for 21 years, it is still considered the team with the largest fan base in Croatia, surpassing even Zagreb’s “Dinamo,” which has the biggest budget and constantly wins titles.
“This club is traditionally the biggest club in Croatia – with many fans, good results, maybe just not in recent years. They have a good team, are very young, have a good coach (Gonzalo Garcia – ed.), with whom I worked last year. He always wants his team to play football – he is a true Spaniard who likes his team to play with the ball. They didn’t start the season well, but I think tomorrow they will give their all to win because they are under huge pressure,” said the “Žalgiris” player.
Along with the Split team, a player very interesting to Lithuanians arrived in Vilnius – Rokas Pukštas, born into a family of Lithuanian athletes, holding both US and Lithuanian citizenships, but who represented the United States youth national teams.
The 21-year-old midfielder also started in the “Hajduk” youth system, but he managed to establish himself in the main team better than M. Capanas – last season he scored 9 goals, and at the start of this season he scored the only “Hajduk” goal in the Croatian league match against “Varaždin.”
“First of all, he is a very good guy. He is one of my best friends; we played together for five years,” M. Capanas revealed. “He is very good, his work ethic is excellent. Every year he becomes better. I think his biggest strength is his leap and heading in the penalty area. That is also one of ‘Hajduk’s’ biggest weapons.”
R. Pukštas’s market value according to “Transfermarkt” is 6 million euros, making him the most expensive player on the team. “Žalgiris” coach Andrius Skerla called the Lithuanian-origin player the best in the Split team, so where could his ceiling be?
“I think he can go very far. He is still very young, and his work ethic is excellent. He wants to improve every day. Of course, in football, the right opportunity must sometimes come. I know he had several chances to move to another club in the past, but they didn’t happen. However, I have no doubt about his success in European football,” said M. Capanas.
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