Drama at Poljud: Hajduk Coach Suffers Heart Attack, Rushed to Hospital
Remembering the most traumatic European nights for Split's Whites, including the one when Ivica Kalinić nearly lost his life on the bench.
Remembering the most traumatic European nights for Split's Whites, including the one when Ivica Kalinić nearly lost his life on the bench.
Ahead of the clash with Lithuanian side Žalgiris in the race for the fourth qualifying round of the Conference League, Hajduk hopes for a calmer European spring than in the past. Gonzalo Garcia's team wants to avoid the stresses that have been a common occurrence for years, and one of the most drastic incidents occurred in 2009 when then-coach Ivica Kalinić ended up in the hospital after a heart attack.
A series of painful European memories began in the summer of 2005, just a few months after winning the last Croatian championship title. Under the leadership of Miroslav Blažević, the Split Whites suffered a catastrophe in the second qualifying round of the Champions League against Hungarian side Debrecen. First, they lost 3-0 away at the end of July, only to suffer an even heavier 5-0 defeat at Poljud a week later. The aggregate 8-0 for the Hungarian club marked the end of Ćiro's brief era on the Hajduk bench, and they finished the season in fifth place in the HNL with changes on the bench where Ivan Gudelj and Luka Bonačić alternated.
In the following years, there were eliminations against demanding European obstacles, such as those against Sampdoria and Deportivo La Coruña in qualifying for European competitions.
The summer of 2009 brought a new shock. In the third qualifying round for the Europa League, Hajduk was eliminated by Slovakian side Žilina after the visitors celebrated a 1-0 victory at Poljud, following a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Slovakia. Coach Ante Miše was sacked before the return leg, and Ivica Kalinić led the team in that fateful match. However, the real drama came after the match.
Kalinić was rushed to the hospital in Križine, where he was diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome. "Immediately upon arrival, we identified acute coronary syndrome accompanied by chest pain, and ECG changes in heart function were also observed," explained the on-duty physician, Dr. Ratko Ermacora, at the time. "A stent was inserted; he already had one from before, and if there are no complications, he will be released next week," he added. Due to doctors' recommendations to avoid stress, Kalinić could no longer continue his coaching career. Edoardo Reja and Stanko Poklepović finished the season on the bench, and Hajduk finished second in the league, four points behind Dinamo, while also winning the Croatian Cup.
A bright spot in European performances came in the summer of 2010, when Hajduk, under Stanko Poklepović, eliminated two Romanian clubs, Dinamo Bucharest and Unirea Urziceni, and entered the Europa League group stage. It was the last time the Split Whites played in the group stage of a European competition, and although they finished last in that group, the 1-0 victory over Anderlecht at Poljud is remembered. Two years later, in the summer of 2012, came the famous 2-0 victory against Inter at San Siro, with goals from Ante Vukušić from a penalty in the 23rd minute and Ivan Vuković in the 58th minute. However, that was not enough to advance because Inter had won 3-0 in the first leg at Poljud.
Among the painful eliminations were also defeats to Georgia's Dila Gori, Kazakhstan's Tobol, and Slovakia's Ružomberok.
The heaviest blow came in the summer of 2019. Siniša Oreščanin led Hajduk in the first qualifying round of the Europa League against Maltese side Gzira United. After a 2-0 away victory, a cold shower followed at Poljud. Jradi gave them the lead in the seventh minute, but the Maltese turned it around to 3-1, with the decisive goal scored by Kone in the sixth minute of stoppage time. "I don't run from responsibility, but we didn't underestimate Gzira. We'll talk in the coming days; for now, I can't say anything else," Oreščanin stated the day before he was sacked. Damir Burić and Igor Tudor finished the season on the bench, and Hajduk was only fifth, 20 points behind Dinamo.
Two seasons ago, under Gennaro Gattuso, Hajduk was eliminated by Slovakia's Ružomberok due to an own goal by Zvonimir Šarlija in the seventh minute at Pol
