Šernas shares credit for Lithuania's Czech triumph

Darvydas Šernas's 27th-minute goal gave Lithuania a shock 1-0 Group I win in the Czech Republic, but the winger-turned-forward insisted any credit for the UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying victory should be shared.

Having opened the section with a 0-0 draw at home against Scotland, Lithuania are now second in the five-team group thanks to the diminutive Šernas's header from Marius Stankevičius's cross. However, the RTS Widzew Łódź man was not interested in claiming too much glory for himself after the final whistle.

"The whole team played very well and gave 100%," the 26-year-old told UEFA.com. "For me, it does not matter much who scores; the most important thing is the team. The whole team won this game."

Certainly, plenty of visiting players emerged with plaudits, not least goalkeeper Žydrūnas Karčemarskas, who blocked a Milan Baroš penalty and made a number of other crucial saves. Šernas and Karčemarskas are among four national-team players from the city of Alytus; something that has added to Šernas's enjoyment of Lithuania games. "It's always nice to play alongside people from back home," he explained.

World and European champions Spain – Lithuania's next opponents on 8 October – cast a long shadow over Group I, but beating second seeds the Czech Republic has shown Šernas that qualification is not a pipe dream. "The Czech Republic are a very strong team; looking at the clubs their players represent tells you a lot about them. Three points from this trip is fantastic. It gives us a confidence boost."

Striker Tomas Danilevičius, however, hopes that confidence can be kept in check, mindful that his side's 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying tilt began with wins against Romania and Austria before wilting later on. "We have to avoid a burn-out like last time," he said. "Liechtenstein came very close to a draw in Scotland tonight. That shows that anything can happen and you can never relax."