Hajduk Reach Group Stage of European Competition for First Time in 16 Years!

Hajduk secured European football this autumn for the first time in 16 years, coming through against Poland’s Raków in the final round of Conference League qualifying!

After both legs finished 2:2, the tie was decided in extra time in the away leg in Poland, with Rokas Pukštas netting the winner in the 94th minute.

With their win in Poland, Hajduk have booked their place in a European group stage for the first time since 2010. The last time Hajduk bypassed qualifying was in 2010, when they got past Romanian sides Dinamo Bucharest and Unirea Urziceni to reach the Europa League group stage.

Gonzalo Garcia made just one enforced change, with Pajaziti suspended after his red card in the first leg, replaced by Acapandie. On the home side, coach Dawid Kroczek opted for two changes: Struski came in for Kocherin, while Kwiatkowski also dropped out of the strongest XI, with Makuch taking his place.

In the first leg at Poljud, Hajduk let a win slip while down to ten men in the final minute of stoppage time. In the return leg, they made a flying start, going ahead after just 54 seconds. Dalisson whipped in a corner, and Ron Raci headed home to make it 1-0.

The referee had initially flagged an offense in the build-up but pointed to the center circle after a VAR check. Raków hit back in the 12th minute with their first real chance. Diaby found Makuch with a low ball into the box, and Makuch finished into the net, but VAR ruled the Raków forward marginally offside.

In the 27th minute Hajduk had a chance to extend their lead: Pukštas slipped the ball through to Šego, who shook off his marker and struck from the edge of the box, but the shot went just wide of the left post.

In the 34th minute the home side appealed for a penalty, claiming Marešić had handled the ball, but the referee waved play on. Three minutes later Makuch threatened again, but his effort was saved by Silić.

Just four minutes into the second half, there was a brief flare-up on the pitch, with the referee calming things down by showing yellow cards to Ameyaw and Sigur. The hosts had a big chance in the 54th minute, but Emreli failed to find the target — the former Dinamo forward headed wide from Ameyaw’s cross from the right. In the 58th minute, Silić bailed Hajduk out, saving Ameyaw’s effort.

Unfortunately, a minute later Raków won a penalty. Marešić brought down Racovitan, and Lamine Diaby-Fadiga made no mistake from the spot to make it 1-1. The Polish fans’ joy was short-lived, though — Hajduk restored their lead in the 66th minute through Michele Šego.

It was a brilliant Hajduk counter-attack: Šotiček broke clear of the home defence after a pass from Pukštas, then squared it low for Šego, who put Hajduk back in front.

In the 71st minute Garcia made a triple substitution, bringing on Šutalo, Melnjak and Del Moral for Dalisson, Acapandie and Bamba. A few minutes later Šotiček also made way, replaced by Huram.

In the closing stages, the hosts threw everything forward, and once again Hajduk couldn’t hold on late on, as has happened so often recently. Raków equalized in the 88th minute through Emreli, who had also scored in the first leg. Diaby-Fadiga won a header from a cross into Hajduk’s box and nodded it across to the far post, where a completely unmarked Emreli finished from five meters to make it 2-2.

In the second minute of stoppage time, Hajduk appealed for a penalty after a Šego jump in the box, but the referee waved it away, and the match went to extra time. Hajduk weren’t deterred, and in the 94th minute the visitors found a third lead. After a short corner routine, the ball reached the far post and Darija Marešić, whose cutback found Pukštas, who slotted home to make it 2-3.

Marešić was injured in the buildup to the goal and had to be substituted, with Van Hoorenbeeck coming on. In the 105th minute the Polish side almost equalized, but Silić produced a brilliant save to deny Kochergin.

In the 108th minute the game could have been put to bed: Marko Livaja, who had come on for Šego at the start of the first period of extra time, broke through one-on-one with the Raków keeper but shot wide. Even without that chance, though, Hajduk held on — and ended their long European drought!