Hajduk Shocked On The Rock, Dinamo Beat Sunderland!

Lincoln Red Imps 1-0 Hajduk: Hadžikadunić Own Goal Hands Hajduk First European Defeat

Hajduk travelled to Gibraltar for matchday three of the Conference League league phase with two wins from two, over Ajax and Thun. Their opponents, Lincoln Red Imps, are the reigning Gibraltar champions, and the gap between the squads was huge on paper. Transfermarkt valued Lincoln at €2.25 million and Hajduk at €33.28 million.

Hajduk were the dominant side in the first half. Lincoln rarely crossed the halfway line and mostly waited for a chance on the counter. They got one in the 31st, but Mathieu Acapandie reacted superbly to knock the ball off the toes of home striker Manu Toledano in a dangerous position. Hajduk finished the half without a single shot on target, though a few efforts flew close to the post. Dalisson was the most threatening, twice firing just wide of the upright.

The second half followed a similar pattern, with Hajduk in control of the ball but failing to create enough, only increasing their speed of attacks as the end drew near. In the 75th, Marin Šotiček had a fantastic chance as he was all alone at the top of the box but shot woefully over the target. Marko Livaja came off the bench and had the best chance of the game in the 85th minute. After a corner he brought the ball down on his chest and shot, but goalkeeper Jaylan Hankins saved it. It was Hajduk’s only shot on target of the game.

Lincoln were no more threatening, but they didn’t need to be. In the 89th minute Nano whipped in a free kick, and Christian Rutjens rose highest in the Hajduk box. His header hit the post, and the ball bounced off Dennis Hadžikadunić and into his own net. A very Hajduk way to concede.

The 1-0 gave Lincoln their first win in this season’s Conference League without them having had a shot on target. For Hajduk, it was the first European defeat of the season, ending the run of two wins from two.

What It Means For Hajduk’s Top 8 Chances

That is where the defeat did the most damage. Had Hajduk won in Gibraltar, they would have had nine points and needed just one more win to reach 12, a total that was enough for a top-eight finish in each of the previous two seasons. Now they sit on six, which means they need two wins from their remaining three games to get there.

According to earlier simulations by Football Meets Data, finishing the league phase on 12 points gives roughly a 54.4% chance of a direct place in the round of 16. A safer 13 points would require two wins and a draw from the last three games, and the same projections put that at almost 95.4%. Neither total is a guarantee, as the final table will also depend on other clubs’ results and goal difference. Those percentages are also earlier projections posted a few weeks ago, not new ones. Although I will update this after they’re posted.

The next two games are both at Poljud, which makes them huge. Hajduk host Belgium’s Sint-Truidense on November 26 and Denmark’s Nordsjælland on December 10, before the final matchday away at Midtjylland on December 17. One win would go a long way towards securing a place in the spring at least in the knockout play-off, while winning both home games would take them to 12 points and leave them with a chance to chase a direct round of 16 spot in Denmark. Any further slip-up would complicate the maths and pile on the pressure.

Sunderland 0-2 Dinamo: Leko Wins On Debut As Dinamo Stun The Premier League Side

Jerko Leko’s first game as interim manager came just days after Mario Kovačević was sacked following the loss to Rudeš, and he had only a few days to prepare for a trip to Sunderland.

Dinamo started well, Mišić shooting wide from 18 metres in the 2nd minute, before Sunderland answered through Wilson Isidor, whose effort Kotarski saved easily. Dinamo took the lead in the 23rd. Valinčić crossed from the right, Beljo’s shot from close range was blocked at the last moment, and from the resulting Oršić corner the ball fell to Stojković on the edge of the box. He took it down on his chest and hit a superb volley for 1-0. A minute later Oršić rounded Robin Roefs and shot at an empty net, but Thomas Meunier got back to clear off the line. Sunderland hit the post in the 30th when a strange Meunier delivery fooled Kotarski.

Dinamo made it two in the 39th. Stojković intercepted a pass from Kevin Danso and played in Beljo, who ran in behind and lobbed Roefs from five or six metres with his first touch. Mišić went down at the end of the half after being involved in a few challenges throughout the game, but the captain kept going after the break. Leko also made a substitution at half-time, bringing in Stjepan Radeljić on for Dominguez, just to offer more stability and height to win headers.

Meanwhile, Régis Le Bris made four changes at half-time, and Sunderland scored 70 seconds into the second half, Isidor heading in a Xhaka free kick, only for VAR to rule it out for offside. The hosts took control from there. Lukas Kačavenda blocked a Malick Fofana effort with his head in a scramble in the 55th, and in the 58th Danso hit the bar from close range after Mandava’s header was saved by Kotarski from a Xhaka set piece. The Dinamo goalie made another save, this time stopping Enzo Le Fée in the 60th, and Dinamo carried the odd counter threat, Stojković shooting wide from 20 metres at one point during Sunderland’s onslaught.

No real chances happened afterwards as Dinamo held on, taking them to seven points after four Europa League games and improving their chances of reaching the knockout stage. Stojković was the standout, scoring the opener and assisting the second. Jerko Leko has had the perfect first game, showing that he can make a few changes and motivate the players to step up after a hard weekend. Another win on the road against Varaždin on Sunday would certainly open up the question of whether Dinamo should even be looking for a Spanish coach. Leko made slight changes worth noting; Goda is the main one. Normally a back-up for Perez Vinlof, he started tonight, and it was just down to the fact that he’s more defensively responsible, which showed as the Croatian held his ground. The defensive block was also much more effective.

Last season, nine points were enough to go through among the top 24, and projections after the first three matchdays pointed to a similar total. However, the ‘Modri’ have a tough schedule up ahead: Bayer Leverkusen (H), Rennes (A), AZ Alkmaar (A) and Sturm Graz (H). Just two more points from those games would give them a huge chance of going through, and with 10 they would probably be safe.