Šego Fires Hajduk Past Žalgiris: Split Side Breaks European Away Drought
The Split side dismantled the Lithuanian club 5:2 in Vilnius, virtually securing a place in the Conference League playoff round.
The Split side dismantled the Lithuanian club 5:2 in Vilnius, virtually securing a place in the Conference League playoff round.
Hajduk took a giant step towards the Conference League playoffs. In the first leg of the third qualifying round away in Vilnius, the Split side thrashed Lithuanian side Žalgiris 5:2. The hero of the evening was Michele Šego, who scored twice and paved the way for the club's first away European victory in six years.
The match started furiously for the visitors. Already in the 5th minute, Šego confidently converted a penalty for an early lead. Although the hosts managed to equalize through Nikola Petković in the 35th minute, Hajduk did not relent. Just nine minutes later, in the 44th, Šego found the net again, this time from a free kick, restoring his team's advantage before the break. Interestingly, Šego had a chance for a hat-trick in the first half but also missed one penalty.
The second half turned into a goal fest and complete dominance by the "Whites." Žalgiris's net bulged three more times. Adrion Pajaziti made it 3:1 in the 56th minute, and by the end of the match, the scoreboard read 5:1. Dalisson in the 73rd and Rokas Pukštas in the 75th minute were the scorers. The final score was softened by former Hajduk player Marko Capan, who scored for the hosts in the 86th minute.
After the match, the man of the moment did not hide his satisfaction. "After six years, we've finally secured that away win in Europe. Five goals, everything is great, we have a good result for the return leg, and we'll confirm it in Split," Šego told the club's official website.
The Hajduk forward also reflected on what led to the convincing performance: "We talked a lot among ourselves about what we need to improve. I think that showed today. We raised our aggression, and when we needed to shout, we did that too. That's the right path. Only together can we achieve something. Hard work and effort pay off, thank God."
The return leg will be played in Split, where Hajduk will have the chance to confirm their huge advantage and advance to the final qualifying round for the Conference League.
