Baku: Besiktas advanced to the league phase of the UEFA Europa League on Thursday despite suffering a 1-0 defeat away to Lithuania's Kauno Zalgiris in the second leg of their playoff tie. The Turkish side progressed with a 3-1 aggregate victory, having established a commanding 3-0 lead in the first leg held in Istanbul. According to Azeri-Press News Agency, Besiktas began the match with an aggressive approach, immediately testing Kauno Zalgiris goalkeeper Deividas Mikelionis within the first two minutes. Salih Ozcan's shot from outside the penalty area was saved by Mikelionis, and Dusan Vlahovic's attempt was blocked in the 11th minute. The hosts, however, managed to respond through Gabriel Debeljuh and Ivan Fiolic, though they failed to impact the scoreline. Throughout the opening half, Besiktas dominated the game territorially with 73 percent possession, but Kauno Zalgiris maintained a strong defensive stance. This defensive resilience prevented Besiktas from registering a shot on target before halftime, resulting in a goalless first half. In the second half, Besiktas continued to apply pressure. Vaclav Cerny missed the target in the 52nd minute after a cross from Ilhan Fakili, and Mikelionis thwarted Vlahovic's close-range attempt a minute later following a pass from Kassoum Ouattara. Kauno Zalgiris managed to score against the run of play in the 64th minute with their first shot on target. Renan Oliveira capitalized on a backpass error by Besiktas centre-back Tiago Djalo, successfully beating goalkeeper Alexander Nubel in a one-on-one situation to give the hosts the lead. Despite Besiktas right-back Aamir Murillo's near equalizer five minutes later, which was pushed away for a corner by Mikelionis, Kauno Zalgiris retained their advantage for the remainder of the match. However, their victory was insufficient to overturn the three-goal deficit from the first leg, allowing Besiktas to progress to the league phase of the competition.