Hajduk scores five in European push
The Split side triumphed 5:2 in Vilnius, taking a giant step toward the Conference League fourth qualifying round. Michele Šego was the hero of the night with two goals.
The Split side triumphed 5:2 in Vilnius, taking a giant step toward the Conference League fourth qualifying round. Michele Šego was the hero of the night with two goals.
Hajduk's footballers secured a fantastic away victory against Lithuanian side Žalgiris, winning 5:2 in the first leg of the third qualifying round for the Conference League. Played on August 6, 2026, in Vilnius, the match was a goal fest and marked the Whites' first European away win in nearly six years.
Hajduk took the lead as early as the 5th minute. Adrion Pajaziti played the ball to Marin Šotiček, who returned it from the edge of the box, and Michele Šego charged onto it. Home captain Yuri Kendysh brought him down in the penalty area, earning a yellow card, and Šego made no mistake from the spot to make it 1:0.
Just four minutes later, Šotiček volleyed wide with the goal at his mercy after the ball slipped from goalkeeper Vincentas Šarkauskas's grasp. In the 13th minute, Hajduk were awarded another penalty when Deividas Šešplaukis fouled Šotiček. Šego again took responsibility, but this time Šarkauskas saved his effort.
Žalgiris equalized in the 35th minute. Bilenkyi set up Nikola Petković, who managed to evade the defensive cover, while goalkeeper Toni Silić misjudged the flight of the ball and practically passed it to the attacker for the 1:1 equalizer. However, the Whites went into the break with the lead. In the 44th minute, Šego curled in a magnificent free kick from about twenty meters to make it 2:1.
The second half brought a forced substitution for Hajduk. Center-back Alec van Hoorenbeeck had to leave the pitch due to injury, with Ron Raci coming on in his place. In the 56th minute, Pajaziti, after a short corner routine, entered the box and fired a precise shot from an angle to make it 3:1.
The Split side sealed the match with two quick goals. In the 73rd minute, following a long ball from goalkeeper Silić, Anđelo Šutalo assisted Dalisson, who scored from the right side to make it 4:1. Just two minutes later, Rokas Pukštas intercepted a pass from the home defense, skipped past marker Lupan, and scored from five meters out for a commanding 5:1.
Before the final whistle, the hosts managed to pull one back. Marko Capan, a former Hajduk player, came on in the second half and scored from a free kick from about 20 meters in the 86th minute for the final 5:2. In stoppage time, Hajduk had another Šotiček goal disallowed for offside.
The return leg will be played a week later, on August 13, 2026, at 9 PM at Poljud. The winner of the tie between Hajduk and Žalgiris will face the victor of the Polish side Raków and Swedish Hammarby in the final qualifying round; their first leg ended goalless at 0:0.
