Hajduk made it two wins from two in the Conference League league phase on Thursday night, beating Thun 1-0 in Switzerland. Dalisson scored the only goal in the 17th minute. Gonzalo Garcia’s side dominated the first half but had to withstand heavy pressure after the break, in a match that featured remarkable misses at both ends.
The result ended a long wait. Hajduk’s last away win in the group or league phase of a European competition came on September 28, 1994, when Aljoša Asanović’s 88th-minute goal earned a 1-0 win over Steaua in Bucharest in the Champions League. Following their 2-1 win over Ajax in the opening round, Hajduk now have a maximum of six points from two matches.
Lineups
Thun (4-4-2): Steffen; Fehr, Bürki, Bamert, Mambwa; Reichmuth, Roth, Kait, Maier; Labeau, Dursun
Hajduk (4-2-3-1): Silić; Acapandié, Hadžikadunić, Marešić, Hrgović; Del Moral, Fayad; Bamba, Dalisson, Šotiček; Šego
Match report
Hajduk set the tone from the start. Bamba went down under a challenge from Mambwa in the Thun box in the 2nd minute without getting a decision, and needed treatment on his ankle. A minute later, Šego tested Steffen, who saved comfortably.
Hrgović broke superbly down the left in the 10th minute, but his pass for Šego was cut out. By the 13th minute, Hajduk had two-thirds of the possession and were pressing Thun high up the pitch, and four minutes later that pressure paid off. Nico Maier gave the ball away in midfield, and Dalisson carried it to the edge of the box. His first shot was blocked, but the ball came straight back to him, and the Brazilian flicked it into the net with the outside of his boot for 1-0.
Thun should have equalized in the 24th minute. Brighton Labeau got away from Acapandié and fired low inside the box, but Silić saved, and Furkan Dursun dragged the rebound wide from 16 meters. Mambwa blazed over from more than 20 meters in the 30th minute.
Thun saw more of the ball after falling behind, but Hajduk’s pressing kept them from settling, and the chances kept coming for them. Šotiček’s effort from around 20 meters in the 33rd minute was heading just inside the post until Steffen tipped it behind. From the resulting corner, Hrgović was free on the left of the box, but he fired well over. Fayad then shot straight at Steffen from 17 meters, and in the 37th minute Bamba struck the post directly from a corner.
Hrgović blocked a Fehr shot in the 44th minute. Two minutes were added, and Hajduk went in 1-0 up at the half, a lead that could easily have been bigger.
Neither side made changes at the break, but the balance shifted quickly. Del Moral was booked in the 47th minute for stopping a Mambwa run, and Thun began to push Hajduk back. Fehr curled wide of the right post from the edge of the box in the 54th minute. Labeau’s turn and shot was blocked two minutes later, and Roth was booked for pulling back Dalisson to stop a counter. Reichmuth then shot straight at Silić in the 58th minute.
Marešić was booked in the 64th minute. A minute later, Del Moral headed a Fehr free kick clear just ahead of Bürki, and Labeau sent a shot over from around ten meters after a corner.
Hajduk had a golden chance to double their lead in the 68th minute, when Olivier Mambwa shoved Bamba in the box, and Gillett pointed to the spot. Šego stepped up but struck a weak penalty down the middle, an easy save for Steffen.
Melnjak then replaced Šotiček for Hajduk. Reichmuth was booked in the 73rd minute for a foul on Del Moral.
Then came the miss of the night. In the 75th minute, Labeau broke down the right and squared the ball to Noah Christoffersson, who somehow put it wide of an empty net from close range.
García brought on Livaja and Dendoncker for Šego and Del Moral in the 78th minute, while Thun replaced Labeau and Roth with Braschi and Derbaci, and later Reichmuth with Lengen. Martin and Van Hoorenbeeck replaced Bamba and Fayad in the 84th minute. Livaja won a free kick two minutes later and then headed wide from the resulting cross.
Four minutes of stoppage time were added, and Hajduk nearly sealed it on the break in the 92nd minute, when Dalisson tried to lob from distance and hit the crossbar. Hajduk held on for a 1-0 win and a significant step towards the knockout phase of the Conference League.
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