Ahmeti Stuns Poljud in the 95th Minute
Young Istra 1961 forward Dukan Ahmeti scored his first career goal in his 17th senior appearance, securing Pula's first point of the season against Hajduk in front of a packed Poljud.
Young Istra 1961 forward Dukan Ahmeti scored his first career goal in his 17th senior appearance, securing Pula's first point of the season against Hajduk in front of a packed Poljud.
Football often writes its most beautiful stories in the dying moments, and Dukan Ahmeti became the hero of one such tale. The young Istra 1961 player came off the bench and, in the 95th minute of the away match at Poljud, scored in front of 20,000 home fans to make it 2:1 and earn his club their first point of the new SuperSport HNL season.
You couldn't ask for a better scenario for a 17th senior appearance. Ahmeti had been waiting all of last season for his first goal, and it arrived in the most dramatic fashion possible. "Honestly, it couldn't have turned out better, and the feeling was amazing. These are the moments why we love and play football, and when something like that happens, you immediately forget all the hardships," Ahmeti told Glas Istre.
Interestingly, this isn't the first time Ahmeti has shone at the Split stadium. Back on January 25th this year, he started in Istra 1961's 2:1 victory. "I really do well against Hajduk, it couldn't be better, and I hope it continues like this," he added. Although he didn't start this time, he admitted the atmosphere was extra motivation. "I've never played in front of so many people in my life, but it wasn't a problem at all. On the contrary, I love playing in such an environment," he emphasized.
The key moment of the match came in stoppage time. Ahmeti received the ball from Kadušić among four opposing players and then found Jaganjac. "I saw Jaganjac free and passed to him. He managed to hold onto the ball, while I immediately went to the far post where I was literally left alone," Ahmeti described the move to Glas Istre. He also admitted that his teammate's pass surprised him because he expected a shot on goal.
After the ball hit the net, Ahmeti initially didn't celebrate excessively, but emotions soon spilled over. "I waited for that first goal all of last season and didn't get it, now it finally came, and no one is happier than me," concluded the young footballer, whose debut goal will be remembered for a long time.
