Hajduk and Rijeka played their UEFA Conference League playoff ties Thursday night, with Hajduk celebrating an away victory while Rijeka suffered a painful home defeat.
Hajduk reached the Conference League league phase after defeating Polish side Raków 3–2 away. It is only the third time in the club’s history that Hajduk have reached the league phase of a European competition.
Fans were ecstatic, greeting the players and manager Gonzalo García as heroes when they returned home.
“The victory was amazing. I am very proud of how they performed, how they stood up every time something was going against us in the game. This is the mentality. And this is what we need to have. This is the heart and spirit that this team has. Not always will you succeed, but if you have this, you will succeed,” García said.
“I don’t know why, but before the game, I had a feeling we would go through. They are a tough, hard-working team, but we were better, and that tipped the scales in our favor,” defender Šimun Hrgović said.
“It’s a great feeling to see how much this means to the fans. There were so many messages and celebrations all across the city. There’s no better feeling than bringing joy to so many people,” left-back Dario Melnjak said.
Rijeka, meanwhile, failed to qualify for the Conference League league phase. After losing 2–0 away to Midtjylland, Rijeka suffered a 4–1 defeat at home Thursday night, despite taking the lead through an own goal by Croatian defender Martin Erlić, who plays for the Danish side.
“The first half was good, but toward the end, there were signs of problems that became evident in the second half. We tried a few things with a little less tactical precision, and they punished us heavily. By the time they scored their second and third goals, the game was over. Congratulations to our opponents. Our focus now turns to the Cup and the HNL,” Rijeka manager Matjaž Kek said.
“They really turned up the pressure in the first ten minutes and scored the opening goal. We equalized and then managed to take control of the game. We started the second half really well, played aggressively and did what the coach asked of us,” said Midtjylland defender Martin Erlić, who is a member of the Croatian national team.
