February 28, 2023 - Hajduk Juniors brilliantly knock out Manchester City and advance to the UEFA Youth League quarterfinals!

The Hajduk juniors side met the powerful Manchester City in the UEFA Youth League round of 16 at Poljud. Recall, Hajduk reached the round of 16 after beating Shakhtar.

Coach Marijan Budimir's team was without its standard stopper Luka Vušković and captain Marko Capan, but welcomed the return of Roko Brajković from the first team.

More than 3,000 tickets were sold for this match until yesterday evening, and many of the Hajduk season ticket holders made their way to Poljud today. Torcida was also in full force. 

Lineups

Hajduk: Buljan - Đolonga, Jurić-Petrašilo, Arković, Hrgović - Kavelj, Reić - Brajković, Skoko, Vrcić - Antunović

Manchester City: Murray-Jones - Samuel, Burns, Katongo, Galvez - Adam, Charles, Bobb - Mebude, Dickson, Borges

To no one's surprise, the favorites were City in this match, but Hajduk came out to prove they are a force to be reckoned with. 

A great opportunity for Hajduk came already in the 6th minute. Reić found Vrcić through the middle in front of City goalkeeper Murray-Jones, but the shot was saved. 

The first half was even and Hajduk showed that it was a good match for City. In the 15th minute, Mebude broke through the right side and shot, but luckily the ball went over Hajduk's goal. City threatened again a few minutes later, but it was Hajduk to take the lead first.

After Murray-Jones intercepted a long pass about 20 meters from his own goal, Brajković ran onto the rebound and sent it into an empty net from the first touch. Hajduk was up 1-0 in the 24th minute! 

And just when Poljud got done celebrating the first goal - their second found the back of the net! Antunovic found space in the defense to score near post for 2-0! 

Hajduk's defense did well to keep any danger away from their goal, but the 19-year-old wonderkid Oscar Bobb was left alone in the penalty area to score for 2-1 at the half. 

City tried hard to equalize in the second half, with several opportunities saved by Hajduk's solid defense. Hajduk had a good chance in the 49th minute. Hrgović passed on the left side and found Antunović in the penalty area, but he shot wide of the goal. 

Hajduk made their first substitutions in the 59th minute - Reić and Skoko went out for Čalušić and Nazor. City made their first subs in the 63rd minute - Oboavwoduo came on for Adam.

Hajduk didn't really have a chance at goal in the second half apart from Antunović's in the 49th minute. City had some good chances from dangerous free kicks, but nothing found the back of the net. 

And then a spurt of chaos in the 84th minute - Finley Burns was sent off with a red card. City was playing with a man down for the remainder of the match. 

A dangerous free kick for City in the 86th minute finished without success. Four minutes of stoppage time were added, and Hajduk held their own for the 2-1 victory! 

Hajduk will play in the quarter-finals against the winner of Borussia Dortmund and PSG. If Hajduk advances, they will play away in the quarter-final. 

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

May 8, 2022 - The Hajduk jersey auction as part of the 'Football for Peace' campaign has raised 51,450 kuna,  in addition to the over 600,000 kn raised through the Hajduk-Shakhtar friendly match and donor phone line! 

Hajduk recently presented its new home jersey for next season which is now finally on sale to the public as of this weekend.

The first 12 copies of the new Hajduk jersey, made of 100 percent recycled plastic and special eco-fabric (13 0.5-liter plastic bottles were needed to make one jersey) have been donated in the 'Football for Peace' auction to raise money for Ukrainian orphans. 

The 'Football for Peace' campaign also included a friendly match in Split between Hajduk and Shakhtar, where tickets were a symbolic 30 kuna and a donation line was opened for people to call in. Over 600,000 kuna was collected from the match tickets and the donor line, and another 51,450 kuna for the 12 jerseys offered in the auction! 

All of this money will be donated to help orphaned children who lost their parents in the war in Ukraine, and who are currently living in the Republic of Croatia.

After the charity auction ended, Hajduk released a new white jersey for next season, which has been on sale to the public since Saturday. Jerseys can be purchased at Hajduk fan shops at Poljud and TC Joker and through the club's webshop.

The new home jersey is made of 100% recycled plastic, a material certified by the "Global Recycled Standard". The front of the jersey is made of a special eco-fabric, which follows "Body mapping", and the jersey itself has perforations (holes) in places where athletes sweat the most while creating a special visual effect reminiscent of armor.

With all these details, the new home jersey comes with a knitted collar and sleeve edges with red and blue lines that represent the tradition of the Club, and on the back, on the collar, there is a sewn inscription "Hajduk lives forever". On the front of the jersey, on the right, is the silicone logo Macron Hero, while on the left, over the heart, is the silicone coat of arms of HNK Hajduk.

To read more about sports in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

July 22, 2021 - The first matches of the UEFA Europa Conference League 2nd qualifying round were played on Thursday, featuring Croatian clubs Rijeka, Hajduk, and Osijek. Rijeka and Hajduk both opened the new league with a win, while Osijek drew 0:0 in Poland. 

Gzira United v. Rijeka (0:2)

Rijeka opened the 2nd qualifying round tonight for Croatian clubs against Gzira United in Malta. 

Gzira became known to the Croatian public a few years ago when they came back from a 0:2 Hajduk lead in the first match and celebrated 1:3 at Poljud in the return, sensationally knocking out the Split club in the first round of the Europa League qualifiers.

While the first half went without goals, Denis Busnja put Rijeka in the lead in the 57th minute and Prince Ampem increased it to 2:0 in the 77th minute for the Rijeka win. Lepinijca received a second yellow in the 87th minute and was sent off. 

Hajduk v. Tobol

Hajduk and Tobol met at Poljud at 9 pm in front of over 11,000 spectators as fans returned to stadiums across the country. Tobol currently leads in the Kazakh championship after 19 rounds. They recorded 12 wins, six draws, and one defeat in the league. They have won the last three games, two of which were in the Kazakh Cup.

Hajduk, however, was the much better team in the first half, and a goal by wonderkid Marin Ljubicic put them in the lead in the 21st minute! Hajduk did not slow down in the second half, and another goal by Ljubicic increased Hajduk's lead to 2:0 in the 53rd. Hajduk continued to attack and was unlucky on a few occasions not to get another goal. The match ended 2:0 for Hajduk. 

Osijek v. Pogoń Szczecin

Osijek played away in Poland against Pogoń Szczecin, also from 9 pm. Pogon finished 3rd in the Polish championship last season. Croatian championship runners-up Osijek, however, opened the new season with a 3:0 win against Sibenik, cementing their talent from the start. 

While Osijek had chances in the first half, especially Mierez, the match was 0:0 at halftime. Neither team was able to score in the second half and the match ended 0:0. 

All teams will play the return match one week from today (July 29). 

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

To learn more about sport in Croatia, CLICK HERE. 

June 15, 2021 - Hajduk preparations for the 2021/22 season kicked off Monday at Poljud with new coach Jens Gustafsson. 

In the Hajduk Salon at Poljud, coach Jens Gustafsson and his assistants gathered the Hajduk A-team players at the beginning of preparations for the new season. The Management Board President Lukša Jakobušić and the sports director Mindaugas Nikoličius spoke to the players along with the head coach before the very beginning of the preparations, announced Hajduk.hr.

The first gathering was attended by 30 players:

Kristian Dimitrov, Alexander Kačaniklić, Stefan Simić, Marko Livaja, Dimitrios Diamantakos, Marin Jakoliš, Josip Elez, Jani Atanasov, Jairo, Dino Skorup, Stanko Jurić, Luka Škaričić, Stipe Biuk, Karlo Sentić, Ivan Dolček, Toni Silić, David Čolina, Ivan Perić, Mario Vušković, Josip Posavec, Emir Sahiti, Ivan Ćubelić, Marin Ljubičić, Tonio Teklić, Mark Bushaj, Mario Čuić, Tino Blaž Lauš, Madžid Šošić, Ivan Čalušić, Ivan Šarić. 

Samuel Eduok will join the team on Tuesday, and the arrival of Lumbard Dell is expected later.

Hajduk had their first training on the Poljud auxiliary field, since work is underway on the main pitch to change the lawn.

"Today we start with light training, and then throughout the week, we continue with two training sessions a day, until the weekend when we play the first preparatory match in Dubrovnik. First of all, we will dedicate ourselves to working on physical fitness, and then to our style of play, that is, the style we want to play. I feel comfortable at the start of the preparations, we are all very ambitious, I feel a good balance between different personalities in my staff, and I hope that together we will improve Hajduk. We will fight and compete as long as we can and better, we have a long way to go and everyone will demand the maximum from everyone," said coach Jens Gustafsson.

"There are a lot of new, young players, who with their games through the Academy have shown that they deserve to be here with us. They will definitely need a little time to grasp everything, and we seniors will allow them everything to adjust as quickly as possible. I think we all had a good rest together and now we have to dedicate ourselves to our goals, which is to try to enter the groups of the Conference League, if we are able to achieve that, and to better prepare for the championship where we also have high ambitions," added Marko Livaja.

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

To learn more about sport in Croatia, CLICK HERE. 

June 5, 2021 - Good news for Hajduk fans - works are currently underway on a brand new Poljud pitch that will soon crown the beloved Split stadium! 

Hajduk announced that installing the new hybrid lawn on the main Poljud pitch is in full swing. In accordance with the planned deadlines, the first planned phase of works, removing the lawn and preparing the substrate in cooperation with the company Jadro, has been completed.

In addition, 11 centimeters of old quartz sand were removed for better drainage, and the base for laying new quartz sand was leveled. Among other things, the grass surfaces of the warm-up area and the entire surrounding part outside the tartan track are being renewed.

The field was taken over by the Croatian Football Federation on Friday together with the contractor. In the next phase, they will lay the new pitch! 

The latest generation hybrid lawn will eventually cover the current field sand, and Hajduk will soon get the national team-worthy pitch it deserves.

Hajduk's new coach, Jens Gustafsson, will gather the team on June 14 and lead them at the beginning of preparations for the new competitive season.

Hajduk will train until June 17 in Split, when they will head down south to Konavle for three trainings before the first preparatory match. Hajduk will be guests at the 100th-anniversary celebration of HNK Slaven Gruda on June 19 at 5 pm at the Gnjila Sports Center playground.

After visiting the Dubrovnik surroundings, Hajduk will return home to train at Poljud until June 23. The team will then leave for fifteen-day preparations in Slovenia. This year, Hajduk's expedition will stay and do a series of training in the new preparation base in Zreče.

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

To learn more about sport in Croatia, CLICK HERE. 

May 28, 2021 - HNK Hajduk has named its new coach, Swedish expert Jens Gustafsson, after parting ways with Paolo Tramezzani earlier this week. 

Hajduk's statement transmitted in full:

"HNK Hajduk and Jens Gustafsson have agreed on a two-year contract, based on which the 42-year-old Swedish expert will take over the position of the first-team coach.

Jens Gustafsson was born in Helsingborg on October 15, 1978. He started his football career in Helsingborg and also played for the Swedish clubs Brage and Falkenberg.

He started his coaching career with the U-17 team of Halmstad, where he was very quickly promoted to the first team coach and stayed there for three and a half years. He was the coach of the U-21 national team of Sweden and was hired as an assistant coach at AIK. For the last four and a half years, he has been the head coach of Norrköping, with whom he has achieved excellent results in the Swedish league.

In addition to graduating from the football academy and passing the UEFA PRO license, Jens Gustafsson also has a university degree in Behaviorism.

He is a modern coach who prefers an attacking style of football, and in Sweden, he excelled in working with young players with whom he regularly raised their value and playing abilities. In his seven-season coaching career so far, he has led over three hundred first-league games.

During his last tenure as Norrköping coach, he led a total of 166 games, recording 91 wins, 38 draws, and 37 losses. His team averaged 1.87 points, averaging 1.90 and conceding 1.19 goals.

We wish Mr. Gustafsson a lot of luck and success in Hajduk!" Hajduk concluded. 

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

To learn more about sport in Croatia, CLICK HERE. 

September 2, 2019 - Hajduk held a press conference on Monday afternoon led by the club president Marin Brbić. 

Already before the derby against Dinamo, Poljud announced a press conference for the last day of the summer transfer deadline. At the conference, the club's president Marin Brbić confirmed that Darko Nejašmić has extended his contract and that World Cup finalist Filip Bradarić was returning to the club on loan, reports the club's website and Gol.hr.

"Darko Nejašmić extended his contract until June 2023. The only exception to what I said earlier is Filip Bradarić, he is a Croatian national team player with extensive experience, coming on loan until the end of the season. I will also say that we are in the negotiation phase with a striker,” Brbić said.

Former Hajduk player and Croatia national team player Filip Bradarić arrives on loan from Serie A club Cagliari, where he fell out of favor. Bradarić returns to Hajduk after four years. Recall, the player was sold to Rijeka where he became the captain.

“This is a really emotional moment for me, after five years I'm finally coming home. I'm going back to Hajduk, my club, my city... I made my first football steps there and my heart is finally in place. I followed Hajduk all the time, I believe I can help this team and I hope we can do great things together. I can't wait to put on my holy jersey again and play for Hajduk,” said Bradarić from Italy, who will arrive in Split on Tuesday morning.

“We went into the last hours of the transition period, which was very long and arduous, I think we have to be satisfied, my humble opinion is that we have done quality within the deadline. There is still the question of strikers and small exit transfers, especially the loan of young players,” said sports director Saša Bjelanović.

The attacker in question is allegedly a Peruvian attacker of Croatian descent, Ivan Bulos, who plays at Boavista in Porto.

Bjelanović confirmed that Ivan Strinić will not return to Hajduk.

''We don't even have to discuss the qualities of Ivan, but in that position, we brought in two young players for whom we invested big money. By bringing Čolina and Dolček, we decided to take that path, and we have to look at the financial dimensions.''

Brbić wanted to make something else clear.

"We announced the press conference before Dinamo because we want to make it clear that one game, whether it was a derby, is not crucial. The championship is a marathon; we are running to win,and the main goal is to enter the Champions League qualifications. The goal is to bring in young players who are national team players who can improve the club and move forward and increase value. Like it or not, we have to market players."

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

Hajduk and Osijek both played at home in the second round of the Europa League qualifications. 

While we’re on the topic of celebrating Croatia’s great sports stars, we must not forget about the sporting event that really set Dalmatia on fire - Hajduk’s 100th anniversary in 2011.

On this day 25 years ago, Hajduk won the first championship title in independent Croatia.