Hajduk took on Raków tonight at Poljud in the first leg of the Conference League play-off round. Gonzalo Garcia’s side are two matches away from securing a spot in the group phase of the European competition, with the return leg set for next Thursday in Częstochowa at 7 pm.
Hajduk’s opponent is anything but easy, and virtually everyone in Split is well aware of that. It has been a staggering 16 years since Hajduk last enjoyed a European autumn campaign, and in that time the club has never been closer to a return to continental football. That is precisely why tonight’s match, for which Poljud saw demand outstrip ticket availability, carried such significance.
Lineups
Hajduk: Silic – Sigur, Maresic, Raci, Hrgovic – Pukstas, Pajaziti – Bamba, Dalisson, Soticek – Sego
Rakow: Trelowski – Tudor, Racovitan, Svarnas – Ameyaw, Kochergin, Repka, Ouma – Diaby-Fadiga, Emreli, Kwiatkowski
Match report
The match kicked off in a fantastic atmosphere at packed Poljud, with Hajduk chasing a place in the Conference League. It got off to a lively start — in the 4th minute, Bamba intercepted a pass from the visitors’ defense and burst into the penalty area, where he was impeded by Svarnas. Referee Očenaš waved play on, though, much to the loud disapproval of the home crowd.
In the 11th minute came the first real moment of danger at the Hajduk end. Ameyaw whipped in a cross, but Emreli caught goalkeeper Toni Silić in the head instead of the ball. The Split shot-stopper needed treatment as a result.
In the 17th minute, Bamba broke away down the left, using his pace to full effect before whipping in a low, first-time cross for Šego, whose effort was blocked, leaving Hajduk with a corner. The hosts worked it quickly from the resulting set piece in the 18th minute, with a well-rehearsed routine picking out Dalisson, though his shot lacked precision.
Hajduk deservedly took the lead in the 21st minute. Bamba delivered a cross for Šego, who timed his run to perfection, arrived unmarked at the far post and calmly nodded home to send Poljud into raptures!
Hajduk continued to press aggressively across every line in the 26th minute, which brought them another corner — again worked towards Dalisson, but once more the Spaniard’s effort lacked.
Raków levelled almost out of nothing in the 27th minute. Otieno powered past everyone down the left, crossed for Emreli, who nodded it home past Silić. It was 1-1.
In the 31st minute, Bamba — putting in an excellent performance, a constant threat and already with an assist to his name — won a yellow card for Otieno, the visitors’ provider for their goal. Two minutes later, Šimun Hrgović also picked up a booking for a foul from behind on the opposite side of the pitch. The impression is that the referee is reaching for early cards in an attempt to keep the players calm and maintain control and authority over the match.
In the 40th minute came a big scramble in front of the Hajduk goal, as Raków showcased their biggest weapon — set pieces. They whipped a delivery into the heart of the penalty area, but the resulting effort was blocked by one of their own players. Hajduk had a chance from a dead ball themselves in the 42nd minute, winning a free kick some 20 meters from the visitors’ goal — a big opportunity for Šego to add another set-piece goal to his tally.
The first half at Poljud came to a close in the 45+3rd minute. Hajduk have been much the better side on the pitch, going at Raków aggressively from the very first minute and keeping up that intensity right up until the whistle. Still, the biggest chance of the half fell to the visitors, in the closing stages, when Ameyaw’s effort came back off the post.
The second half got underway at Poljud, with the visitors making one change to start the period — Svarnas made way for Debohi.
Hajduk restored their lead in the 47th minute. Šotiček found Dalisson on the edge of the box, and the Spaniard, who had already enjoyed an excellent first half, fired home from 16 meters to send Poljud into another frenzy!
Hajduk went straight on the offensive at the start of the second half. Almost immediately from the restart, in the 48th minute, visiting goalkeeper Trelowski’s pass went straight to Bamba, who fired from around 30 meters, but his effort went wide of the post. Practically from the very next attack, Dalisson was left unmarked on a rebound and blazed his effort over the bar — complete pressure and offensive intent from Hajduk at the start of the half.
Hajduk’s afternoon took a turn for the worse in the 55th minute, however, when Pajaziti committed a heavy foul just around the halfway line. Referee Očenaš didn’t hesitate, showing him a straight red card. Hajduk will have to see out the rest of the match with ten men.
In the 65th minute, the visitors worked an opening for Pienko, but his effort was comfortably dealt with by Silić. Hajduk made a triple change in the 68th minute: Bamba was replaced by Šutalo, while Dalisson, scorer of the second goal, also made way, with Dario Melnjak coming on in his place. Slightly earlier, Gonzalo Garcia had already replaced Šotiček with Del Moral, who took over Pajaziti’s role on the pitch.
In the 72nd minute, Šutalo tried his luck from a half-chance on the counter, but his effort went over the crossbar. During the buildup to that move, the referee had played advantage following a foul on Melnjak, but then failed to book the offending visiting player once the phase of play was over — much to the frustration of the Split supporters.
In the 76th minute, Šego, scorer of the first goal, made way, along with Hrgović, with Marko Livaja and Alec van Hoorenbeeck coming on in their place. Tempers flared on the pitch in the 81st minute after the referee failed to award a foul by Pienko in midfield. Marešić reacted furiously towards Pienko in the aftermath, and it was ultimately the visiting player who ended up picking up a yellow card for the incident.
In the 82nd minute, Livaja let fly from around 20 meters towards the near corner, though Trelowski, not entirely without difficulty, managed to tame the shot. Pienko then tested Silić with an awkward header in the 90th minute, but the Hajduk goalkeeper made a confident save, gathering the ball safely into his grasp. Five minutes of stoppage time were added, and all Hajduk had to do was hold on.
But then the inevitable happened. In the 90+5th minute, Hajduk suffered a last-gasp blow. Once again, the Split side conceded deep into stoppage time to hand Raków a share of the spoils. The game ended 2-2 and the second leg is played in one week.
