April 24, 2023 - Hajduk Juniors failed to take home the UEFA Youth League title after losing to AZ Alkmaar in the final (5-0). 

It was a historic final for both teams. After beating AC Milan (3-1), Hajduk became the first Croatian club in history to reach the final of any UEFA club competition in any category. The Fair Cities Cup, won by Dinamo in 1967, was not a UEFA competition then. AZ also became the first Dutch team to play in the final of this competition. In the semi-final, they eliminated Sporting Lisbon on penalties.

Hajduk's juniors had incredible support from the stands. Over 10,000 fans occupied Geneva since morning, and the club's famous songs could be heard throughout the city.

Hajduk had a difficult journey on the way to this historic success. They kicked out Gabala and Apollonia without much difficulty before meeting European giants. Hajduk beat Shakhtar and Manchester City at Poljud and Borussia Dortmund away.

AZ Alkmaar also knocked out big teams on the way to the final, beating Eintracht Frankfurt (5-0), Barcelona (3-0), and Real Madrid (4-0).

The final tournament was initially supposed to be played in Nyon, Switzerland, but due to the great interest of the fans, UEFA moved it to Geneva and a stadium with 30,000 seats.

Lineups

Hajduk: Buljan, Š. Hrgović, Vušković, Jurić-Petrašilo, Đolonga, Capan, Kavelj, Vrcić, Pukštas, Brajković, Antunović

AZ Alkmaar: Owusu-Oduro, Goes, Beukers, Mastoras, Addai, Kwakman, Schouten, Smit, de Jong, Poku, Daal

Match report

Buljan had to make his first save in the 2nd minute, and Hajduk played nervously in the first five minutes when they finally had their first corner. 

Hrgovic shot from 20 meters at the AZ keeper a few minutes later.

Buljan had to make another save in the 16th minute, and AZ had three attempts on target compared to Hajduk's one at this point in the match. By the 20th minute, AZ showed much more. They play maturely, organized, and controlled the game. Hajduk concentrated on defense and relied on counters. 

Another dangerous attempt by AZ in the 30th minute saw Buljan make another flying save to keep the result 0-0. And another close call just three minutes later. 

In the 44th minute, an unnecessary foul by Vuskovic in the penalty area resulted in a penalty for AZ and the 1-0 lead just before halftime. 

The second half started. Meerdink entered instead of Daal, while Hajduk made no changes.

Kavelj received a yellow card in the 50th and Hajduk had a great chance in the 54th minute. Vrcić broke through on the right side and played in the middle, but Pukštas couldn't get a shot off. 

AZ completely controlled the match and Hajduk waited for a counterattack. But that plan failed. Hajduk was down 3-0 by the 76th minute. And 4-0 by the 79th. 

The Hajduk juniors entered the final with high expectations, but the Dutch club was superior for the entirety of the match. In the end, they deservedly celebrated. Even though the final ended 5-0, this historic success is worth celebrating, and Hajduk's young side will be welcomed in Split at 6 pm. 

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

April 21, 2023 - The Hajduk Juniors side made Croatian football history tonight, beating AC Milan 3-1 in the UEFA Youth League semi-final! The young Hajduk side will play in the final on Monday against AZ Alkmaar. 

Hajduk was the first Croatian club to reach the semi-finals of the Youth Champions League and the first Croatian club to reach the semi-finals of any UEFA competition since Hajduk's seniors played in the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup in the 1983/1984 season. Tonight, they continued to write history. 

On their way to the UEFA Youth League finals, Hajduk knocked out football giants including Shakhtar, Manchester City, and Borussia Dortmund.

The UEFA Youth League finals are usually played at the Colovray Sports Center in Nyon, the headquarters of UEFA. This year, due to the extremely high interest of the participating clubs, the games were held at the FC Servette stadium in Geneva.

Earlier today, AZ Alkmaar beat Sporting Lisbon on penalties for a spot in the final. 

Lineups

Hajduk: Buljan, Đolonga, Jurić-Petrašilo, Vušković, Š. Hrgović, Pukštas, Kavelj, Skoko, Vrcić, Antunović, Brajković

Milan: Nava, Bozzolan, Nsiala-Makengo, Coubis, Casali, Stalmach, Eletu, Zeroli, Cuenca, El Hilali, Sia

Match report

Both sides played cautiously for the first 15 or so minutes, though Hajduk had better chances. Vrcic just missed a great ball in the box from Pukstas in the 18th minute. Milan finally showed up in the 38th minute and began pressing Hajduk's defense, but Hajduk reacted well with counterattacks. The first half ended 0-0. 

Everything changed in the second half. A quick goal from Vrcic in the 51st minute put Hajduk ahead, followed by a stunning header into the goal by Pukstas in the 69th. Hrgovic made it 3-0 for the Split club just 7 minutes later! 

While the winner was all but confirmed at this point, Milan did find the back of the next in the 83rd minute, and Hajduk goalkeeper Buljan had to make some stellar saves to make sure that didn't happen again. 

With five minutes of stoppage time added, Milan had no luck, and Hajduk advanced to their historic UEFA Youth League final on Monday!  

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

April 20, 2023 - The Hajduk Juniors will play in the semi-finals of the UEFA Youth League final tournament on Friday, April 21, against the young AC Milan side. 

All matches are played at Servette FC stadium in Geneva. Sporting and AZ Alkmaar will play in the first semi-final match, while Hajduk will meet Milan in the second on Friday at 6 pm. 

The Hajduk U19s qualified for the 'Youth Champions League' semi-finals after defeating Borussia Dortmund on penalties at Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund. Milan advanced to the semis with a 2-0 victory against Atletico Madrid.

The young Hajduk side trained at Poljud until Wednesday when UEFA's production team arrived to film a short documentary about their journey to the semi-finals and the Split club itself.

"They will follow the young Hajduk players and their activities from the last training session at Poljud stadium until the departure and landing in Switzerland, where on Friday, they will have the support of over 3,500 fans who have bought tickets for the Hajduk sector," said Index.hr earlier this week. 

Hajduk coach Marijan Budimir took 24 players to compete in the final tournament: Ivan Bosančić, Borna Buljan, Davyd Fesyuk, Niko Đolonga, Mateo Jurić-Petrašilo, Luka Vušković, Boško Jemo, Marko Capan, Mate Antunović, Jere Vrcić, Roko Brajković, Šimun Hrgović, Noa Skoko, Rokas Pukštas, Domagoj Begonja, Tomislav Arković, Duje Reić, Nino Duić, Krešimir Nazor, Niko Pavić, Marin Ćalušić, Mark Hrvojević, Frane Bobanović and Ante Kavelj.

Šimun Hrgović will try to continue a series of excellent games in this elite European competition.

"Our first goal is to get to the final. I have played all the previous Youth Champions League matches, and now we have reached the semi-finals, and we are proud of that. Of course, Milan is a respectable opponent, but we want to finish this," said the young Hajduk player.

Hajduk's assistant coach Zvonimir Milić pointed out that it is an exceptional honor to represent one's club, city, and country on the big stage.

"In two seasons of the Youth Champions League, we played 12 games and were never defeated in 90 minutes. All the players are available this time, which we are thrilled and grateful for, and the fact that many fans will be cheering us on in Geneva gives us special satisfaction," said Milić.

Hajduk is the first Croatian club to reach the semi-finals of the Youth Champions League and the first from Croatia to reach the semi-finals of any UEFA competition since Hajduk's seniors played in the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup in the 1983/1984 season. 

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

March 15, 2023 - Hajduk U19s are in the semi-final of the UEFA Youth Champions League!

In the quarter-final match at Signal Iduna Park in Germany, Hajduk U19s defeated Borussia Dortmund on penalties. After 90 minutes it was 1-1, and Marijan Budimir's team won 9-8 on pens after a wild shootout.

Dortmund maintained possession throughout the match while Hajduk had more chances. Hajduk had its first serious attempt in the 21st minute when Roko Brajković's left-footed shot went just short of the goal post. Hajduk missed an even bigger chance in the 64th minute. 

A more concrete game by Hajduk finally resulted in a goal in the 72nd minute. Brajković precisely crossed from the right side to Mate Antunović who found the back of the net with a beautiful header for the lead! 

However, Borussia came back only four minutes later. Julian Rijkhoff accurately executed the penalty kick after Tomislav Arković fouled Michel Ludwig.  Hajduk was not swayed by that goal, and they were close to winning even before the penalty shootout. Brunner almost shook his own net after Hrgović's cross hit the top of the crossbar and was saved by the Dortmund defense.

The drama of penalties did not prove to be a problem for Hajduk. During the eight rounds, both sides were infallible, but in the ninth, Hajduk's goalkeeper Borna Buljan saved Filippo Mane's shot, while Ante Kavelj scored for the big celebration! 

With this victory against Borussia Dortmund, the Hajduk U19s qualified for the semi-finals of the UEFA Youth League. Hajduk has thus made history and became the first Croatian club to reach the semi-finals of this competition. 

The final tournament will be played in Nyon, Switzerland, from April 21 to 24. In addition to Hajduk, Sporting, AZ Alkmaar, and AC Milan advanced to the semi-finals.

On April 21, Hajduk will play against AC Milan, while Sporting and AZ will compete in the second semi-final. 

The final is scheduled for three days later, on April 24. 

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

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.

April 23, 2022 - 18-year-old Croatian footballer Roko Šimić was RB Salzburg's hero on Friday night and will play in this season's UEFA Youth League final!

You've likely heard a thing or two about wonderkid Roko Šimić, who recently made the list of the 50 best football talents of the next generation according to GOAL, with the Croatian striker coming in at #36. 

“Red Bull Salzburg’s conveyor belt of attacking talent is showing no signs of slowing, with Roko Šimić set to be one of the latest strikers to emerge at the Austrian champions. The son of Croatia legend Dario Šimić, the 18-year-old joined Salzburg for €4m in the summer of 2021 having become the youngest scorer in Lokomotiva Zagreb history the previous season. Šimic, who has been likened to both Erling Haaland and Dusan Vlahovic, has since signed a fresh four-year deal at Salzburg after breaking into the first-team squad, with Real Madrid, Arsenal and Tottenham among those rumoured to be tracking him,” GOAL wrote back in March.  

But Roko's talents aren't just because of his famous father Dario, who you may remember playing the shirts of Inter Milan, AC Milan, and Monaco. 

Namely, the 18-year-old Roko Šimić and RB Salzburg beat Atletico Madrid 5-0. Recall, the Spanish club was better than the Hajduk Juniors this season, with the Split club losing at Poljud on penalties in the playoff round of this competition. 

Šimić was unstoppable against Madrid. In the 15th minute, he brought his team to the lead, while in the 28th minute he scored a penalty for 2-0. But Roko wasn't done - he also assisted Kameri who scored 3-0 in the 44th minute!

In the second half, Sahin scored the fourth goal in the 67th minute and Dikite for 5-0 in the 89th minute.

In the final, RB Salzburg will play against Benfica, which beat Juventus 6-5 after a penalty shootout. After 90 minutes it was 2-2, with Benfica leading 2-0 with goals from Martim Neto in the 3rd and Luis Semed in the 10th minute. But at the end of the first half, Benefica played with a man down and Juventus used the upper hand to equalize at 2-2. The scorers were Chibozo in the 51st minute and Turicchi in the 73rd minute.

The final match will be played on Monday, April 25, at 6 pm. 

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

February 9, 2022 - The Hajduk juniors team met Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Youth League playoff round at Poljud Stadium in Split on Wednesday. 

In the first two rounds, Hajduk eliminated Tetovo club Shkendija and the Belarusian champions Minsk. They achieved three wins and a draw, with a goal difference of 9:2.

Atletico reached the playoffs as the second-placed team in Group B. Coached by Fernando Torres, Atletico recorded 10 points - three wins, one draw, and two defeats. Porto was behind Atletico in third, while the group winner was Liverpool with 11 points.

Only one game is played in the playoff round, there is no overtime, and in the event of a draw, penalties are taken. The capacity of Poljud stadium was limited on Wednesday due to epidemiological measures (40%). 8,761 fans were in attendance. Hajduk was the host of the match because they were the Croatian champion. 

Lineups

Hajduk: Silić, Letaj, Capan, Čuić, Brkljača, Hrgović, Pukštas, Prpić, Krolo, Bradarić, Ljubičić 

Atletico: Iturbe, Diez, Navarro, Kamara, Kostis, Curras, Gismera, Corral, Barrios, El Jebari, Martin

Recap

We saw a very even first half with one attempt on goal for Hajduk compared to Atletico's two. However, a highlight of the first half came for Hajduk in the final minute when a free kick was awarded outside the box.  Capan sent the ball into the box which Cuic headed into the crossbar. With chaos in front of the Atletico keeper from the rebound, Hajduk ultimately sent the ball over the goal line, which the ref called back for an offensive foul. 

The match ended 0:0 going into halftime. 

Atletico came our far more aggressive to start the second half, with two corners in the 56th and 58th minutes. 

Hajduk made its first substitutions in the 61st minute - Lazar came on for Krolo, and Vrcic for Cuic. Less than 10 minutes later, Vladusic replaced Brkljaca. 

Neither team was able to find the back of the net in the second half, either, bringing the match to penalties.

Penalties

Ljubicic went up first for Hajduk and hit the post. 

Curras scored Atletico's first penalty 0:1.

Hrgovic scored Hajduk's next penalty - 1:1.

Atletico missed their second penalty to keep it 1:1! 

Vrcic scored for 2:1. 

Atletico made their next one for 2:2.

Capan missed to keep it 2:2. 

Atletico took the lead again thanks to Martin for 2:3. 

Hajduk missed their last penalty for Atletico to move ahead in the Youth League. 

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