Hajduk and Rijeka fighting for European qualification

Hajduk were held to a 2–2 draw by Polish side Raków in Split last night in the first leg of their Conference League playoff. 

Hajduk took the lead twice, but a costly red card in the 55th minute made it difficult to hold on to the advantage.

“We looked good in the first half and scored a goal, but we made some sloppy mistakes and they equalised to make it 1–1. We should have been more aggressive. We started the second half well, but the red card made things really difficult for us. You saw for yourselves what happened after that,” said Hajduk’s Michele Šego.

The return leg will be played next Thursday in Poland.

Meanwhile, Rijeka suffered a 2–0 defeat to Midtjylland in Denmark in the first leg of their Conference League playoff. Rijeka now face an uphill battle in the return leg next Thursday as they look to overturn the deficit and secure a place in UEFA’s third-tier competition.

“If you give them space, they’re a very fast and dangerous team, and we saw that clearly in the second half,” said Rijeka coach Matjaž Kek. “Anyone who plays against Midtjylland faces the same problem — they put constant pressure on the box. Yes, we had our moments when we played well, but some individuals lack the right decision-making in key moments,” he added.