Hajduk Split claimed a 2-1 win over Gorica at the Gradski stadion Velika Gorica in the third round of the HNL regular season on Sunday evening. The visitors came from behind to take all three points, with M. Livaja's late strike proving decisive after Gorica had built a lead through M. Šego's early opener. By then the match had settled into something more interesting than the scoreline suggested.
Šego gave Gorica the advantage in the third minute, finding the net before most people had settled into their seats. Hajduk responded with changes at the break, bringing on K. Custović and M. Acapandie in an attempt to shift momentum. The hosts then defended resolutely, though they gave away too many cheap fouls in the process, picking up yellow cards from Michele Šego and Ivan Cvijanović.
The turning point came in the seventy-eighth minute when B. Bogojevic converted a penalty to level matters. Gorica thought they had snatched a point, but Hajduk refused to settle. Livaja struck in the eighty-seventh minute, closing the game out with a finish that left the home side staring at a result that felt closer than it was on paper.
The statistics tell a story of dominance without reward for the visitors. Hajduk held 61 per cent possession and created four big chances to Gorica's one, yet the hosts managed to keep things competitive for most of the contest. Shots accuracy showed 31 per cent for the away side against 25 per cent for the home team — not enough to justify the final scoreline, but perhaps enough to suggest Gorica were fortunate.
The result leaves Hajduk in fourth place with ten points from five games, while Gorica remain rooted to tenth with just a single point and no wins. The visitors extended a run of good form that included a 4-0 victory over Žalgiris Vilnius earlier this month, whereas the hosts continue to struggle after losses to Lokomotiva and Osijek in recent weeks. Cup football has its own rules, but in the league, Gorica still have plenty of work to do.