Valdas Dambrauskas: From Hajduk dismissal to Champions League glory

Valdas Dambrauskas, now celebrating Champions League qualification with Azerbaijani club Sabah, had a tenure at Croatian club Hajduk Split that lasted only ten months. Many Hajduk fans hold a sentimental attachment to the Lithuanian coach, likely due to the 2022 Croatian Cup victory, his first trophy with the club after nine years. However, this triumph seemed to overshadow his overall performance, which was ultimately deemed unsuccessful, leading to his dismissal.

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The Lithuanian never – neither before coming to Split nor after leaving Split – coached a bigger club.

Dambrauskas began his tenure on November 2, 2021, and was sacked on September 12, 2022, with his contract still having over a year left. His dismissal followed a 1-1 draw in Šibenik, which left Hajduk six points behind league leaders Dinamo Zagreb. Earlier in August, Hajduk had lost to Osijek in the league and were eliminated from European competition by Villarreal. The month prior, they had suffered a significant 4-1 defeat to Dinamo in the Super Cup.

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This victory – which brought Hajduk its first trophy after nine years – clearly overshadowed Valdas's remaining work in Split.

Despite finishing seven points behind Dinamo in the league that season, Dambrauskas's time at Hajduk saw a career-best season for striker Marko Livaja, who scored 32 goals across all competitions. However, the team fell short of the league title. The coach's record in 38 matches across all competitions was 23 wins, seven draws, and eight losses. After his departure, Mislav Karoglan took over, remaining undefeated for 12 matches before Ivan Leko's arrival. Dambrauskas later coached OFI Crete in Greece and is now with Omonia in Cyprus.

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And yet, Valdas's tears and visible emotion after the 3-1 victory over Rijeka in the final, in a spectacular atmosphere at Poljud.