Photo by Slobodan Kadic
April 14, 2024 – Hajduk and Osijek met in the 30th round of the SuperSport HNL on Sunday at an empty Poljud stadium in Split, as Hajduk served the first of its two-game ban without fans.
Today’s empty stadium is the culmination of a series of tragic events for the Split club in the last month. After losing to Lokomotiva and Dinamo at home (twice), Hajduk needed to beat Rijeka away by two goals to have a shot at the title this season. Losing to Rijeka 1-0 at Rujevica resulted in the season lost (with 7 rounds to go), president Lukša Jakobušić sacked, and coach Karoglan gone.
It was the season they were expected to win it all. But it was a season where the Hajduk lineup was continuously plagued with injuries. It was a season where fans felt, once again, that the curse over the Split club was far from being lifted. “Next year,” we said. For the umpteenth time.
Today’s matchup against Osijek was no different, and a highly weakened Hajduk was set to take the pitch. 19-year-old Buljan was in goal due to Lučić and Kalinić injuries. Standard center-back Šarlija is out for the next three weeks. Right back Moufi, a savior in the defense the last few weeks after returning from a long winter injury, was set to start today. But he injured himself during the warmup before the game. And the list goes on, and on.
But maybe the empty stands and hope lost for the title would put less pressure on the players? Even that wasn’t enough today.
Osijek pressed Hajduk’s half much of the first half. Matković put Osijek ahead in the 19th minute and Trajkovski equalized for Hajduk nearly 10 minutes later for 1-1 (the first goal scored for Hajduk in what felt like a decade). But reality hit when Mierez made it 1-2 a few minutes before the half.
A (bittersweet) highlight of the second half was watching Nikola Kalinić and Ivan Perišić come on in the 64th minute, which certainly increased the intensity of the game. Hajduk hit the post. Sahiti was a half second too late on a cross in the box from Perišić. The Osijek keeper made two unbelievable back-to-back saves on a Pukštas header and Kalinić chance, as we were certain the ball went in. In the final minutes, another chance just missed the goal. And the curse was felt even more.
The game ended 1-2, which is a great result for Osijek as they fight against Lokomotiva for fourth place. Hajduk sits in third, for now. But for the first time in 44 years, the Split club has lost five consecutive games in all competitions. There are six rounds to go until the end of the season.
To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.
