In the 18th round of the Croatian First League, Hajduk defeated Rijeka at Rujevica with goals by Toma Bašić and Ante Erceg.
Hajduk’s new coach Željko Kopić has reversed the five-year curse - Hajduk has beaten Rijeka for the first time in 2,082 days, reports Index.hr on December 3, 2017.
The famous Adriatic derby between Hajduk and Rijeka never goes without a fight, and over almost six years and 20 matches, Hajduk and Rijeka drew seven games with 13 defeats for the Split club. Out of 60 possible points, Hajduk has won only seven, and even more tragic is that in the last eight matches, Hajduk was able to achieve just one point.
While Hajduk coaches Krstičević, Tudor, Vukas, Vučević, Burić, Pušnik and Carrillo were all unsuccessful in their attempts against Rijeka; it was new Hajduk coach Željko Kopić to finally get the job done in his fourth game on the bench. Bravo.
2017 has been a special one for Hajduk during which they celebrated three massive away games in the domestic championship. In April, Hajduk beat Dinamo at Maksimir for the first time in nine years, and just a few days ago, they achieved their second win at Osijek’s City Garden since September 2008.
While these are all positives for Hajduk, the Split club is going through one of their toughest moments in the last few years. After a brutal loss to Rudeš at Poljud and the sacking of former coach Joan Carrillo, fans of the football club have been putting the team and the entire organization under a great deal of pressure. Torcida especially has not backed down from voicing their dissatisfaction with the club today.
This resurrection at Rujevica, however, should help to heal the open wound of the players, the club, and the fans while instilling a new hope that the team can continue with this positive momentum for the rest of the season.
It may have taken more than five years and 20 games between the two clubs, but Hajduk finally has every reason to celebrate - and they did just that.
Here's a closer look.
Excerpts taken from Index.hr
