Sabah Baku achieved a historic milestone by qualifying for the main phase of the Champions League, with Lithuanian coach Valdas Dambrauskas playing a pivotal role in this accomplishment. At 49 years old, Dambrauskas’s journey in football is both inspiring and unique.
Dambrauskas’s footballing journey commenced in 2000 when he won money on the show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” He used his winnings to travel to England to study coaching. From humble beginnings, he has now led his team to the Champions League, a remarkable 26 years later.
Winning the Game Show and Becoming a Coach
In the second leg of the Champions League playoff, Sabah Baku triumphed over Hapoel Beer Sheva with a score of 5-2 after extra time. Following a 2-1 defeat in the first match, the Azerbaijani team advanced with an aggregate score of 6-4.
This victory marks the greatest achievement in the club’s history, securing their first-ever place in the main phase of the Champions League. Dambrauskas’s story of leading this success is particularly remarkable.
In 2000, Dambrauskas, then a 23-year-old student, won 4,000 litas (approximately 1,160 euros) in the Lithuanian edition of the game show. He subsequently moved to England, where he studied sports sciences and coaching.
Throughout his career, he gained experience with teams such as Manchester United, Fulham, and Brentford, before taking the helm at Kingsbury London Tigers, a ninth-tier English club.
Over the years, Dambrauskas has built an extensive coaching resume, leading teams including Hajduk Split, Zalgris, RFS, Gorica, Ludogorets, OFI, Omonia, and Diosgyor, before joining Sabah Baku last year.
His achievements include winning two titles with Zalgris in Lithuania (2015 and 2016), a cup with RFS in Latvia (2019), a cup with Hajduk Split in Croatia (2022), a title and a cup with Ludogorets in Bulgaria (2021, 2022), and a title and a cup with Sabah Baku in Azerbaijan (2026).
“It’s a great evening. I thank the fans. The players performed excellently. Sabah Baku is the best team I have coached in my career. We have qualified for the main phase of the best tournament in the world. Today, I am the happiest coach in the world. Hapoel was the team that applied better pressure, which led to us conceding a goal. We made mistakes that we will analyze. The fans who attended the stadium will not forget this evening. I will celebrate this day.” – Valdas Dambrauskas after the victory over Hapoel Beer Sheva
