Hajduk Split opened their 2026/2027 campaign with a 2-0 win over Slovakia side MŠK Žilina at Poljud. “Bili” (“The Whites,” as Hajduk are known locally) now go into the 2nd leg with a good lead, which could’ve been much higher. Gonzalo Garcia’s men were the dominant side throughout most of the 90 minutes; 15 shots to Žilina’s 5 show just how much more threatening Hajduk was.
The Match
Just ahead of kick-off, Gonzalo Garcia was booed by a part of the home crowd. It’s obvious some fans are siding with Marko Livaja in the whole debacle that led up to this match. Livaja started this game on the bench as Hajduk’s starting line-up was:
Silić – Acapandie, Van Hoorenbeeck, Marešić, Hrgović – Pukštas, Pajaziti – Brajković, Dalisson, Melnjak – Šego
The first big chance fell to the Slovaks as Faško had two defenders on him and nobody was covering Hranica, who ran in behind from the right side and had a clear one-on-one with Silić, but Hranica’s shot went wide. After that, it was all Hajduk; they continuously broke down Žilina’s defence with great runs in behind and through balls. Every loose ball was picked up by a Hajduk player as all eleven of them pressed relentlessly.
Eventually, in the 22nd minute, Roko Brajković got the ball on the right-hand side. He cut inside and got past Bari and scored an absolute beauty as he hit the far top corner to put Hajduk into the lead. But just a minute later, Dario Marešić almost made a horrendous howler as he went to pass back to his goalkeeper but passed it to the opposite side of the goal from which Silić was at. The ball trickled just an inch past the post.
But that hiccup was followed by a big chance after a beautiful one-two between Pajaziti and Šego as the striker played a brilliant first-time heel pass into the box behind the backs of the entire Žilina defence. Pajaziti got around the goalkeeper, but his shot hit the side netting. Just a few minutes later, Šego himself missed a one-on-one.
The 2nd half started hot for Hajduk’s new signing, Dalisson de Almeida, who perfectly slotted a 20-meter finish into the bottom left corner for 2-0. Hajduk had multiple more chances but failed to convert, which was the team’s main issue last season as they finished as the top team in the HNL for most big chances missed, per SofaScore. Žilina had one last chance to halve Hajduk’s lead in the 76th minute, but Silić made a good save.
Garcia made a round of substitutions as the game was winding down, but it was the final change that got the loudest reaction. With 5 minutes to go, Marko Livaja was brought on for his 203rd Hajduk appearance; the entirety of the stadium followed him onto the pitch with a massive roar. Nothing of note happened until the full-time whistle.
Next up for Hajduk
Next week’s 2nd leg is on Thursday, July 16th at 20:30 CET at Žilina’s stadium, Štadión pod Dubňom. Hopefully, Hajduk will use this two-goal advantage to go through to the 2nd qualifying round of the Europa League. If that happens, Hajduk will face Cypriot side Pafos.
Pafos played in the Champions League last season, finishing 26th in the league phase, just outside the top 24.
Ajmo Hajduk!