Janković: Coming to Rujevica Paid Off
Rijeka's midfielder scored the only goal in the 1-0 win against Ilves, and after the match he highlighted the key role of coach Matjaž Kek in his return to the club.
Rijeka's midfielder scored the only goal in the 1-0 win against Ilves, and after the match he highlighted the key role of coach Matjaž Kek in his return to the club.
Niko Janković scored in the 16th minute to give Rijeka a 1-0 victory over Finnish side Ilves in the first leg of the third qualifying round of the Conference League. His precise strike into the top left corner, past goalkeeper Faris Krkalić, secured an important advantage ahead of the return leg, but also highlighted the ongoing finishing issues that plague the team from Rujevica.
Rijeka completely dominated the match, as the stats confirm. The shot count was 23-3 in favor of the hosts, and the corner count was even more lopsided at 9-1. Despite the overwhelming territorial dominance, Alekse Todorović's goal remained untouched, while the attackers on the other side managed to find the net only once. Interestingly, this is already Rijeka's third consecutive 1-0 European victory this season.
After the match, Janković did not hide his emotions and expressed special gratitude to his coach. "I dedicate this goal to our boss, Matjaž Kek; without him, I wouldn't be at Rujevica. He brought me back, and I saw his strong desire and that he values me as a player. I told him I would have walked to Rijeka for him. That's why I'm happy about the goal. I hope there will be more," Janković told Novi list.
His return to the club was not straightforward. Due to disagreements with former coach Victor Sanchez, he left Rijeka in February and went on a one-year loan to Slovan Bratislava. However, Kek insisted on bringing back the Armada's favorite, and Janković repaid him on the pitch. The key to success, he says, lies in extra work. Seeing that his finishing wasn't clicking in the first few matches, he took the initiative to come to the auxiliary pitch at Rujevica.
"I always joke that it's luck when I score. In the first three matches, I had plenty of shots on goal. I saw it wasn't working, so I came to Rujevica and spent two or three days practicing shots on the auxiliary pitch. It paid off-I scored exactly the way I practiced," the player said.
Although the win was recorded, Janković admits there is a degree of dissatisfaction due to the lack of a more convincing triumph. "I'm happy for the team; things are going well, and we're winning. The only thing is I'm not fully satisfied with the result-we should have won by two or three goals. We were dominant, created chances, and it's a shame we didn't score another goal. But there's no despair; we'll train hard for the next match, as I like to say, 'gas geben'-step on the gas and go to Finland to play as well as we can," he said.
He also had special words of praise for the fans. "I must commend the fans, our loyal Armada; they really have our backs and are our twelfth player." Although the match against Dinamo this weekend was canceled, Janković is not looking for excuses. "For a player, there's nothing better than playing every three days. Matches are the most important; that's what you train for. It's best to play, especially big matches like the one against Dinamo. We're sorry it's not being played because we believe we could have played a good match. Now it's full throttle in training, throwing ourselves into it, and preparing as best we can for the return leg in Finland."
The return leg in Tampere will bring completely different weather conditions. While yesterday at 10 a.m. in Rijeka it was 33 degrees Celsius, in the Finnish city it was only 16. The forecast for next Thursday predicts a maximum of 19 degrees. Janković, however, doesn't want to hear any excuses. "It won't bother us. I don't know how much trouble the artificial turf will cause, but there are no justifications or calculations. We're going for the win," he concluded decisively.
