Kek and Rijeka Fear Finland
Niko Janković secured the win against Ilves, but injuries to Toni Fruk and Tiago Dantas cast a shadow over the celebrations at Rujevica. The return leg is on Thursday at 6 PM.
Niko Janković secured the win against Ilves, but injuries to Toni Fruk and Tiago Dantas cast a shadow over the celebrations at Rujevica. The return leg is on Thursday at 6 PM.
Rijeka's footballers successfully completed the first part of the job in the third qualifying round of the Conference League, defeating Finnish side Ilves 1-0 at Rujevica. However, the victory came at a high price, as two key players from the Kvarner club finished the match with painful grimaces, and their participation in the return leg in Finland is highly questionable.
The hero of the match was Niko Janković, who scored the only goal in the 16th minute, giving Rijeka a crucial advantage ahead of the away fixture. However, late in the first half, fans were concerned to see Toni Fruk leave the pitch. The midfielder took a heavy blow to the ankle, forcing him to make way for Samuele Vignato and head straight to the hospital for an X-ray.
Two days after the match, the club has yet to provide a precise diagnosis, but initial reports inspire cautious optimism. "He's OK, but he'll undergo further tests in the coming days to confirm there are no potential issues," HNK Rijeka stated.
The troubles for coach Matjaž Kek didn't end there. In the 71st minute, Tiago Dantas also had to leave the field due to injury. After the match, the Slovenian tactician on Rijeka's bench confirmed his concern but also revealed that initial scans didn't show the worst-case scenarios.
"These are injuries where we'll have to see what happens. I think Fruk has already had his scan and nothing is broken. We'll see, it's the ankle, he took a knock. Dantas took a hit to the thigh muscle and also couldn't continue," Kek said.
Rijeka now turn their attention to the return leg scheduled for Thursday, August 13, at 6 PM. Optimism within the club is further boosted by the fact that the 2nd round of the HNL against Dinamo was supposed to be played this weekend, but that match was postponed due to both clubs' European commitments. The extra days of rest and the absence of a demanding league fixture give the medical staff valuable time to prepare both players as best as possible for the trip to Finland.
