Thun 0-1 Hajduk: Dalisson Strike Ends 32-Year Wait for a European Away Win
Hajduk travelled to Switzerland for matchday two of the Conference League league phase, a week after their opening-night win over Ajax. Garcia stuck with the same eleven that started that game. The tactical plan was clear from the first whistle: a high press and an attempt to make life uncomfortable for a Thun side playing at home.
It worked early. Hajduk had the bulk of the ball and kept the hosts pinned back, and the breakthrough came in the 17th. Nico Maier made a mistake in midfield, Dalisson pounced and drove towards the box, and his first effort was blocked. The rebound fell kindly, and he finished it off with the outside of his boot. Thun nearly hit back within minutes, Brighton Labeau getting in behind the Hajduk defence, but Toni Silić saved his effort, and Furkan Dursun fired wide from the follow-up. Hajduk responded and should have gone into the break with a bigger cushion. Šotiček tested Niklas Steffen from 20 metres in the 33rd, Fayad shot straight at the keeper two minutes later, and Bamba hit the post directly from a corner in the 37th.
The second half was a different story. Thun came out far more aggressively, giving the visiting defence plenty to deal with. Fabio Fehr dragged an effort wide in the 54th, and Nils Reichmuth shot straight at Silić four minutes later. However, Hajduk had the chance to kill the game in the 68th. Olivier Mambwa pushed Bamba over in the box, and Australian referee Jarred Gillett pointed to the spot. If that name is familiar, it’s because the Aussie was the main VAR referee in Croatia’s 2-1 loss to Portugal at this summer’s World Cup. Šego took responsibility and hit the penalty down the middle, where Steffen stood his ground and made a comfortable save.
Six minutes later, Thun produced an even worse miss. Labeau broke down the right and crossed into the Hajduk six-yard box, where Noah Christofferson was left with an empty goal from close range and somehow missed it. Dalisson had the last chance of the affair in the 92nd, hitting the bar from around 30 metres trying to lob Steffen, and Hajduk saw out the victory with great aerial presence from Hadžikadunić and Marešić.
Hajduk’s last away win in the main phase of a European competition came on September 28, 1994, when they beat Steaua 1-0 in the Champions League thanks to an Aljoša Asanović goal. That wait is now over after 32 years. Combined with the 2-1 win over Ajax, it takes Hajduk to six points from two games and a big step towards the knockout phase. The Conference League table after the two rounds sees Hajduk in 8th place.
Is This Really Hajduk?!?
Gonzalo Garcia has turned Hajduk into a complete, mature and tactically adaptable team. Put any Hajduk team from the last 10 or even 20 years into this schedule, and I doubt any one of them gets four out of four. This match against Thun was a real test for the Split side, and they passed it. It did take some poor finishing from the Swiss champions, but Hajduk ultimately deserved the win when you add it all up. This was also a much tougher game than the one vs. Ajax. Last week the Dutch side played perfectly into Hajduk’s press; tonight Thun turned the game into a long-ball fest and physical battle, just like they did against Dinamo, who failed to adapt to it back in July. The Split side adapted and defended well enough to get the win.
Hadžikadunić dominated the air, winning 7 aerial duels. Meanwhile, Del Moral was almost always in the correct positions to intercept or win second balls. The Spaniard has been instrumental to Garcia for a while now, but sadly the N.20 won’t be available for Hajduk’s next UECL match in Gibraltar due to accumulated yellow cards. This most likely means Leander Dendoncker will get a start vs. Lincoln Red Imps. But back to Hajduk as a whole. The last few minutes looked nervy, as we’re used to Hajduk crumbling and falling at the last moments of matches. But thanks to Garcia, and I can’t forget Robert Graf, the man who assembled this squad to a T, that didn’t happen at the Stockhorn Arena. It really looks like Hajduk have finally turned over a new leaf; everything is clicking perfectly right now. 10 wins out of the last 11 matches is an unreal run that Hajduk fans haven’t witnessed since 2009, if my quick research is correct.
The club is on the right path and just needs to continue like this until the first hiccup in form, which will inevitably come with this tough schedule. When that slump arrives, Garcia and the players will need to find new solutions, but I fully trust both to do so. A win in Gibraltar guarantees a knockout play-off spot, but there is absolutely no reason that Hajduk can’t go and win the other two games at Poljud vs Sint-Truidense and Nordsjælland to most likely lock in a top 8 spot. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Hajduk face Istra in Pula on Monday in the next HNL round, where Garcia will have to put up a more rotated side than he did against Varaždin.
Dinamo 4-2 NEC Nijmegen: Kovačević Hasn’t Learned Anything
I won’t be doing a match report for this one; otherwise, I’ll be here for several hours. Dinamo were definitely the better side attacking-wise than NEC, creating several chances but only putting away two, and you guessed it, Dion Drena Beljo scored both. Stojković had a couple of good balls, especially his pre-assist for the first goal and assist for the 2nd one, which didn’t count due to Beljo’s first shot being saved. But Dinamo’s new number 10 has been a shell of his past self so far this season, with only glimpses here and there. In this match, he often held onto the ball for too long, failing to keep it when pressed and also missed 2 top chances, one of which got cleared off the line as he lobbed Crettaz in the 19th minute.
Almena starting was also a shocking decision for many Dinamo fans, given that Dani Rodríguez has done more than enough to warrant a start in the last three matches. And it proved to be the wrong decision, as Rodríguez came on and immediately created chances down the right wing. But Dinamo’s main problem isn’t the attacking output, at least not while Beljo’s playing, but rather the defence. That weakness is most visible in midfield, as Stojković and Ivanušec, who are great in possession, offer very little when tasked with defending. This means Josip Mišić was left to cover the space between them and the defence by himself. And given that’s nothing new, we’ve seen these exact issues this season and last season when Dinamo got thrashed by Celta Vigo and Lille.
Kovačević was there for all those matches. Yet he still plays the same way. We can talk about Domínguez and McKenna being out of form, but they’re not being helped by their own manager, who’s failed to make Dinamo a defensively sound team or even make tweaks to accommodate the poor centre-back duo. The perfect comparison lies with Hajduk and Garcia — they were conceding for fun at the start of the season. But then, a few new faces came in, and most importantly, the manager tidied up the defensive transitions along with a good high press when needed. Kovačević hasn’t shown any kind of improvement; he’s just being carried by Beljo. Dinamo haven’t controlled a game from start to finish since the victory vs. Rudeš in August. And then again, that’s Rudeš.
As for NEC, they just made chaos on the pitch with their signature man-marking style that left massive gaps in their defences as soon as one player was beaten or caught off on the wrong foot. The ‘Modri’ had 2.63 xG, while the Dutch side had 1.39 xG. This really tells you the entire story of the match. Looking forward, Dinamo have a very tough schedule. Next up is Sunderland away, who are bottom of the Premier League but are unbeaten in the Europa League. After that, it’s Leverkusen (H), Rennes (A), AZ (A) and finally Sturm Graz (H). The chances for a Top 24 spot are low; I don’t think Dinamo are a slight favourite in any of these matches apart from Sturm. So they will need to step up their game massively if they don’t want to embarrass themselves and get knocked out of the league phase. But the only way I see that potentially happening is without Kovačević. A domestic double can’t give you this much credit; Boban has to act or hope for the miracle that Kovačević cooks up a new idea that will magically turn this Dinamo side good again.
But the current reality is that Dinamo have been regressing since the start of the season, being saved only by Dion Drena Beljo.
Where would Croatia be without Tito?
1. Croatia remains tied more closely to Central Europe
Before 1918, much of Croatia had historical links to the Habsburg monarchy. Without Tito and the communist Partisans, Croatia might have developed closer ties with Austria, Hungary and Germany. However, that would depend heavily on the outcome of World War II. An independent Croatia was not guaranteed.
2. Croatia might have less territory along the Adriatic
This is one of Tito’s most consequential legacies. His Partisan movement helped secure Yugoslav control over Istria, Rijeka, Zadar and much of Dalmatia after the war. These territorial changes were influenced by military events and Allied diplomacy, so without Tito, some areas might have remained Italian or had a different status.
3. 3. A wealthier country—or a poorer one
Tito’s Yugoslavia industrialized rapidly during the 1950s and early 1960s, and Croatia became one of its most developed republics. But the system later suffered from debt, inflation and economic stagnation. An alternative Croatia might have developed a more market-oriented economy earlier, although it could also have faced political instability and a smaller domestic market.
4. An earlier independent Croatia—or a different state altogether
Without Tito’s communist federation, Croatia might have become independent earlier. But the alternatives included continued Yugoslav monarchy, Italian or German domination during the war, or another postwar political arrangement. The Croatian fascist state established in 1941 is also part of this history and cannot be treated as equivalent to a democratic independent Croatia.
So.. Most of us can thank their lucky stars for Tito. Without him you might not have been born, your parents might not have met, the Diaspora would have been different then what it is today ( As they emigrated because of Titos Victory )
Croatia today would have been different then what it is currently. Maybe better, maybe worse, some of you might have been speaking Italian etc…
You left out how Tito wanted Stepinac to break with Rome, and how the communists poisoned him when he couldn’t.
At the end of the day atheist Tito could not please God (Heb. 11:6), so he can’t please the majority Catholic Croats, which means your comment is just drivel.
It does not change the fact that without Tito, you would not have the Croatia you have today for good or bad. Borders were defined under him.. Without the Partizans , Croatia ( Yugoslavia for that matter ) would have been carved up. But keep dreaming and wait for Rome to save you.
I just told you what the Catholic majority think of the man that the zionist stooges (the Allies) forced upon the Catholic Croats, so try as you may, it’s impossible to paint Tito in a positive light to a Croat that is deeply rooted in Croatian history, which you are not.
Jebo te Tito.
Also, I’m not waiting for Rome to save Croatia, what I did was indicate how Stepinac showed the Croats that communist Tito was against the religion of the majority Catholic Croats when freedom of religion was something the “orthodox” and Croatian muslims enjoyed in Ante Pavelic’s anti-communist NDH.
In other news, Kramarić had a goal and two assists yesterday
And Luka Sučić with two goals
over the years I was always a fan of any Croatian team. as a kid my dad would get me Sportske Novosti and there was usually a team photo of a different club weekly or monthly (I can’t remember) and I’d remove the staple’s in the centre-fold and put the team photo’s on my wall…of course I only put up the Croatian clubs…Dinamo, Hajduk, Rijeka, Osijek and others…yes they all had a star on their crest but it is what it is. it was only in 2018 when I began to feel conflicted about Hajduk. Prior to 2018 they were my second favourite Croatian team and I understood the rivalries but I didn’t understand the hatred and it got worse when, in my opinion, Hajduk/Torcida fans began their hatred towards Dinamo and the National Team because of Mamic. at that point, I saw the city of Split protesting in the streets and then Torcida came up with the slogan “sve izgubili, dabogda”! Thats when I began to read up and ask people from Croatia and all over what it was all about and that was the point where I could not understand how a club, its fans and their cheerleader group could ever be anti Croatia. us Croatians know 1 thing and that is anytime and anywhere we see another Croatian in any part of the world, we all have the same thing in common and that is the passion for our Lijepa naša…I then found myself in a position I was never in and that was odd for me. Lots of my Hajduk friends began to also demonstrate their dislike of Dinamo and Mamic especially but they could never really explain or prove why and they’d repeat the same old corruption and exaggerations allegations while never understanding any facts. the hard core Hajduk fans doubled down and began to hate on Luka Modric and they’d sing “Luka Modrić, govno maleno” during our National Team games. I was in complete disbelief and not only that, these Hajduk fans kept on going and so did Hajduk. when Kalinic refused to sub in during the 2018 World Cup, Hajduk was the only Croatian club that did not congratulate Croatia’s wins at the tournament and then more Hajduk fans were only concerned with how many Hajduk players got to see the field…in my opinion, this was now about separating Croatia between Split (maybe Dalmacija) against the rest of Croatia. this went on and on. Livaja first insulted Sibenik and Rijeka and when he got insulted and then made a show about his feelings being hurt, Hajduk, its fans and Torcida started attacking Dalic.
we don’t need more division between us. I just finally got over Torcida causing issues between Croatians, I would like to us diaspora to cheer for any Croatian team even if they are a rival in the HNL. Hajduk has finally, after several painful years, began to play some excellent soccer, they have a super coach and their finances are getting better and better. there’s no need to argue over who’s more Croatian and who’s the bigger commie. I lost my love for Split because of soccer politics and I don’t want to keep feeling negatively about the city just because of this sport. we all need to support Hajduk and unite our fans for the National Team. Torcida and BBB have some good qualities but nobody should give a pass to cretens that are drug addicts, alcoholics in their 30’s and 40’s who society would usually consider criminals. at the moment, Hajduk deserve the credit and I do hope they win it all this year and hopefully that motivates other Croatian clubs to do better.
https://www.worldsoccerpins.com/historical-crests-croatia
HAŠK and Concordia forcibly dissolved because they were too nationalistic, leading to formation of Dinamo. Hajduk strongly associated with Partizans so they were left alone.
Everything is messy because of WW2, Pavelič and Ustaša, and Tito and partizans. To attribute their respective club histories and apply it to present day political beliefs is childish.
Dinamo fan in HNL. Support all Croatian clubs when they play in Europe.
Not Concordia. It was Građanski.
Dinamo came from Građanski (city workers’ club) and HAŠK (academic/university student’s club), when they were merged by Tito in 1945.
Concordia was also a Zagreb club that combined with Viktoria which (I believe) was the name of a train, as Viktoria was the railroaders’ union club which is now called NK Lokomotiva. I believe this merger/change also happened in 1945.
Concordia were the ones who first played in Kranjčevićeva stadion before NK Zagreb took it over from them.
Also, The “G” in GNK Dinamo Zagreb stands for Građanski which was added about 10 years ago. This is an attempt by Dinamo to claim that Dinamo has been around since 1911 (when Građanski was first formed) instead of being the product of a post-WW2 amalgamation of two clubs in 1945 by Tito.
There is a HAŠK club that was re-formed in 1990 that claims to be the successor of the original HAŠK and they currently play in the third division. But this is all just a bunch of retconning done by Dinamo.
In 1990, Franjo Tuđman should have split Dinamo into Građanski and HAŠK again (to rid us of this stupid Communist “Dinamo” name) but he messed up by trying to create a brand new club called Croatia Zagreb (which was just re-named back to Dinamo after he died).
It is what it is.
Did we all forget that Tuđman was a Partisan. Croatia’s past & present is littered with anti-Croats.
He was a partisan, yes, but he became more nationalist as he got older and soured on Yugoslavia when he was a University professor. His Yugo Commie University peers hated him and he was kicked out of the club.
He was also sent to prison for two years, but was lucky not to spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Tudman’s father was a die-hard Croat who was part of the patriotic HSS.
Like many youth today, Franjo was probably attracted to the idea of Communism when he was young but then his patriotism grew after seeing all the dismay that Yugoslav Communism brought to Croats.
I stand corrected.
Pavelic didn’t make things messy
It was Tito that confused matters
Pavelic wanted to unite all Croatian lands but was unable unfortunately
Tito tore Croatia to bits and pieces
He gave Dalmacija to Musolini you fool. How the f#$# is that unification? Pavelic was laughed at by Hitler and Musolini he was their bitch boy that they jokingly referred to as the mayor of Zagreb. Learn the history buddy.
I knew you would say that you partizan
I’m not a partizan but you are probably a dumb fuck bosanac whose lineage isn’t even from Croatia. Pavelic was good for you because under his shitty state NDH your pissy little Bosnian village was within the borders of his Croatia. You probably don’t know the language or the history. Pavelic was a loser just like you and Tito he fled like a rat from a sinking ship and went into hiding leaving many actual Croats to get massacred. Neither Tito or Pavalic gave a shit about Croatia and neither does an ignorant neo-fascist like you.
I’m no Jug and don’t appreciate being accused of being one because I’m a Dinamo fan. But as I said before I’m a fan of all Croatian clubs. You’re the one with the issues, but if that’s how you want to play the game go right ahead. Do better mate!!!
Dinamo is a made up Jugo club look up the history they extinguished HSK Gradanski Zagreb and HŠK Concordia in 1945 and formed a new Jugo club named Fizkulturno društvo Dinamo. Two clubs were extinguished and the other started. Dinamo are just like Serbia claiming that what was done by everyone in Jugoslavia is theirs same with Dinamo claiming what Gradanski did. Those clubs were extinguished because they were Croatian. Hajduk was offered a move to Beograd by Tito they told him to FO same as Pavelic and Musolini. Hajduk was always Croatian regardless of you alluding to a star. Dinamo was formed by the Jugo Partizani. Facts are facts. That’s why Tudman hated Dinamo and changed the name but as soon as he croaked they changed it back
It was HAŠK (not Concordia). Two different clubs. But yes, everything else you said was true.
But lets’ not pretend that HNK Hajduk Split didn’t align themselves with the Yugoslav Partisans during their history. But since then, Torcida has diverged from it.
Also, while we are on the topic of Split…let’s not forget that RNK Split was a very far-left anarchist club who actually had supporters fight alongside Communists in Spain against Franco.
I’m a Hajduk supporter, but let’s not pretend that either one of Zagreb or Split’s history is perfect.
None of this matters as much now, and (especially as diaspora Croats) we should be supporting all Croatian clubs.
12 points gets you 8th place in Conference League (which gives you a bye into the Round of 16).
Two more wins against Red Imps and St. Truidense and Hajduk are there.
The real Croatian club won the 1945 Jugo club Dinamo lost.
Don’t go there mate! Dinamo may have changed its name but kept the GRB!!! Can’t say the same for the other club. They’re both Croatian teams, we should be supporting all of our teams in Europe. Better for them, the NT and HNL!!
Why do you think Tudman changed the name from Dinamo to Croatia Zagred. It’s the milicajski udbaski klub. Read the history. Hajduk is the club that told Musolini and Pavelic to take a hike. They had a half grb any one with a modicum of intelligence knows why.
lol. Hajduk is a commie club. Actually Tito’s club. How many innocent Croats died? Disgusting. Anyone of any intelligence knows this.
How are they Tito’s club? When he wanted to move them to Beograd they told him to take a hike. You just told everyone you are retarded without actually saying it. 👏