April 12, 2023 – Hajduk beat Slaven Belupo on Wednesday and will play Sibenik in the SuperSport Croatian Cup final on May 24 in Rijeka.
The second SuperSport Croatian Football Cup semi-final match was played in Koprivnica between Slaven Belupo and Hajduk on Wednesday. Recall that Šibenik sensationally defeated Dinamo in the first SuperSport Croatian Cup semi-final last week.
Lineups
Slaven Belupo: Čović, Bosec, Božić, Tepšić, Soldo, Jambor, Marina, Mioč, Tepšić, Mudražija, Crnac, Hoxha
Hajduk: Lučić – Mikanović, Ferro, Vušković, Melnjak – Grgić, Krovinović – Pukštas, Benrahou, Mlakar – Livaja
Luka Vušković returned to Hajduk’s starting 11 after missing the last round of the HNL.
Match report
The first half was wholly uneventful. Slaven Belupo had a chance to go ahead in the 6th minute had they capitalized on goalkeeper Lucic’s cardinal mistake. In the next 20 or so minutes, there were no real chances for either side, and the sprinklers interrupting the match in the 30th minute was the most exciting action thus far.
Livaja had a chance in the 32nd minute, and a nasty collision between Melnjak and Tepsic resulted in bloody heads and a stretcher to the nearest hospital for the Belupo defender. Hlevnjak entered instead of the injured Tepsic, and six minutes of stoppage time were added.
The second half had more energy from both sides. In the 53rd minute, Pukstas crossed from the right, and Livaja shot from close range with his head. But the ball went wide of the goal. After consulting VAR, Hajduk was granted a penalty three minutes later after a handball was played in the box. Livaja scored for the Hajduk lead (0-1).
Hajduk had a chance to increase their lead in the 76th minute, but nothing came of that action. Belupo was definitely pressuring to equalize, while Hajduk was waiting for the counterattack to bring their second goal. After five minutes of stoppage time, Hajduk held their lead and secured their spot in the final.
Hajduk will meet Sibenik in the SuperSport Croatian Cup final on May 24 in Rijeka.
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