Split team lost to the Varaždin team 1:2 (0:0) away.
The only goal for Hajduk was scored by 21-year-old talent Rokas Pukštas, who grew up in a Lithuanian family but represents the USA national team internationally.
The Split team could have at least secured a draw, but in the 90th minute, the team’s star Marko Livaja missed a penalty kick.
This is already the second defeat for Hajduk in a few days, as on Thursday the Split team lost 0:4 in extra time in the UEFA Europa League qualifiers against Pafos, despite having won the first match at home 2:0.
This result means that in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League, Hajduk will face the Vilnius Žalgiris, who miraculously advanced to the next stage. The first match is already on Thursday in the Lithuanian capital.
Interestingly, another Lithuanian team continuing their international journey, Kauno Žalgiris, will also face a Croatian barrier. The national champions will meet the strongest Croatian team, Dinamo Zagreb, in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League.
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They started their national championship on Friday, when they defeated Slaven Belupo 2:0.
Kauno Žalgiris and Dinamo will play their first match on Tuesday in Zagreb.
Last season, the Zagreb team triumphed in the HNL championship, while the most popular club in the country, the Split team, finished second.
It is believed that Dinamo and Hajduk have budgets of approximately 70 and 40 million euros respectively. For comparison, the annual budgets of both Žalgiris teams do not reach 5 million euros.
