In a match we don’t remember in domestic football, Rijeka beat Hajduk 3:2 and won the semifinals of the SuperSport Croatian Football Cup.
Earlier in the term, Dinamo celebrated against on its own field as expected Kurilovac with 2:0 and thus qualified for the semi-finals.
Referee Patrik Kolarić determined because of the flare 14 minutes of injury time at a time when the score was 1:1. The guests took a 2:1 lead in the 95th minute with a goal by Brajković and it seemed that they would go to the semi-finals, then in the 109th minute Toni Fruk equalized, and in the 110th minute Rukavina scored to advance to the semi-finals. Unheard of in Croatian football so far.
Rokas Pukštas scored a goal for Hajduk in the 25th minute. Rijeka equalized in the 57th minute, and Tiago Dantas was the successful performer of the penalty kick. In the fifth minute of extra time Roko Brajković scored for Hajduk’s new lead. Rijeka brought a turnaround and placement Tony Frock with a goal in the 19th minute of extra time Gabriel Rukavina who scored in the 20th minute of added time.
Chief referee Patrik Kolarić and the VAR room were there at the center of unreal events and the reversal on Rujevica, and this could be glimpsed already in the 4th minute, when the referee from Čakovec was in a situation of reconsidering his decision on the harshest penalty for Rijeka. After a duel with Raci in the Hajduk penalty area, Toni Fruk fell convincingly and Kolarić immediately awarded a penalty kick. However, the VAR room warned the head referee that he should watch the video, which the head referee did, and then justifiably reversed his initial decision and showed a yellow card to Fruk for simulating.
A few minutes, how much has passed since the allotted pa canceled penalty for Rijeka, it was enough for the guests to pull themselves together and start threatening the Rijeka goalkeeper Martin Zlomislić.
Thus, in the 8th minute, Roko Brajković broke free from his keeper on the right side of the penalty area, but his shot with his left foot was saved by Zlomislić.
Three minutes later it was Rokas Pukštas headed the Rijeka goalkeeperbut the ball hit the crossbar, and in the continuation of the action, Zlomislić saved Michele Šega’s attempt.
When they survived five minutes of Hajduk’s pressure, the players of Rijeka created several promising situations, and the biggest threat was the fast-footed English striker Daniel Adu-Adjei. First, in the 17th minute, he ran away from Ron Racija in the center of the field, and the Kosovo defender knocked him down with a wrestling tackle. From the Rijeka bench, they asked Kolarić to send off the Hajduk player, but the referee decided to pull the yellow card out of his pocket.
Two minutes later Ante Rebić elbowed Anta Oreča in the face and earned a yellow card for that.
The people of Rijeka had the best chance to score in the 22nd minute, when Fruk found Adu-Adjei with an excellent ball who crossed behind Marin Skelin, but his final shot was not accurate enough and the ball went past the left post.
When Rijeka did not score, Hajduk did it in the 25th minute. For three and a half years, the people of Split did not score a goal at Rujevica, and that black streak, which lasted six games, was stopped by Rokas Pukštas. It was played beautifully by Šego, and then Pukštas hit the net with a precise shot near the right post of the Rijeka goal.
In the 40th minute, it seemed that Ante Rebić gave Hajduka a two-goal advantage, but after a four-minute check from the VAR room, the verdict came that the Split striker was in the minimum backfield when the ball was sent to him.
Because of two disputed situations there were eight minutes of extra time in the first half, but Rijeka did not equalize.
Without substitutions, Ramiro Munoz and Gonzalo Garcia entered the second half, at the beginning of which Hajduk was additionally burdened with yellow cards, because they were earned by Skelin and Šego.
They happened in the 53rd minute two doubtful situations on opposite sides. First, the people of Rijeka asked for a penalty kick due to Hugo Guillamon’s handball, and then on the other side, Šego fell in the penalty area. The VAR room was activated and Patrik Kolarić again went to watch the video of the situation in front of Hajduk’s goal. After a short check, he awarded a penalty kick for Rijeka.
In the 57th minute, it was performed by Tiago Dantas, who beat Toni Silić with a precise shot to equalize at 1-1. This was followed by a pyrotechnic performance by the local fans, which created a smoke screen and caused another five-minute stoppage.
As soon as the match resumed, Rijeka had an opportunity to score. Toni Fruk sent the ball towards the visiting goal with effective scissors, Silić was overpowered, but somewhere around the goal line, Raci found himself and kicked the ball, which, very likely, would not end up in the net.
In the 75th minute he arrived pyrotechnic response of Hajduk fanswho started firing flares from the south stand and managed to move the center of the field on several occasions. After six minutes, the duel continued.
Accordingly, Patrik Kolarić marked even 14 minutes of extra time on the basic 90 minutes.
Hajduk took the lead for the second time in the game in the fifth minute of extra time. Marko Livaja was the assistant, and after a bad reaction from Zlomislić, he sent the ball into the net Roko Brajković.
Hajduk was a semi-finalist until the last minute of extra time, and then came a new plot and an incredible outcome. Ante Matej Jurić was hit on the leg in the penalty area of Hajduk, and the offense was covered by Raci. After reviewing the footage, Kolarić pointed to the white dot.
Toni Fruk took over the role of performer. Toni Silić hit the side and saved his shot, but Fruk was first on the rebound and sent it into the net with his head to tie the score at 2-2.
As soon as Hajduk started from the center, Rijeka created a counterattack from which the third goal fell. Once again, Jurić was a key figure. He received the ball, rushed down the right flank and sent the return ball into the heart of the penalty area. There, Skelin reacted badly and briefly deflected the ball onto which Gabrijel Rukavina ran and hit the bottom right corner for a frenzy in the stands of Rujevica and the placement of Rijeka in the semi-finals.
(HRT | Nel Pavletic/PIXSELL)
