Varazdin secured a 2-1 victory over Hajduk Split in the opening match of the HNL regular season on Saturday. The result sees both sides remain level on points after six games played, though the hosts have moved into second place while the visitors drop to third in the table. The match was decided by a tight margin, with the final whistle confirming an outcome that could prove significant for the campaign ahead.
The first half offered little incident beyond a yellow card for Adriyon Pajaziti in the twenty-third minute. Hajduk held more possession but struggled to create clear opportunities, while Varazdin kept their shape and limited the visitors to just one corner. Both sides made double substitutions around the hour mark, bringing on Roko Gabric and Roberto Puncec for the hosts, before Ales Latkovic came on for Varazdin in the sixty-fifth minute.
The breakthrough came in the fifty-third minute when M. Mladenovski gave Varazdin the lead, followed quickly by R. Pukstas equalising for Hajduk three minutes later. The momentum shifted in the sixty-second minute when L. Mamic restored the home side's advantage, and they did not relinquish it despite a late penalty miss from M. Livaja in the ninetieth minute. Two more yellow cards — for Franje Maglica and Mario Marina — punctuated a tense period as the visitors pushed for a late equaliser.
Varazdin were the more clinical side despite having less possession, converting three shots on target while Hajduk managed five but created only one big chance. The hosts completed 292 successful passes from 367 attempts against 380 from 433 for the visitors, but it was their efficiency in the final third that proved decisive. Shots accuracy sat at 30 per cent for Varazdin and 50 per cent for Hajduk, though the latter's efforts found no net beyond Pukstas's single strike.
Both teams now sit on 13 points from six matches, with each having recorded four wins, one draw and one defeat. The outcome means Varazdin move into second place while Hajduk drop to third, a shift that could prove meaningful as the season unfolds. The draw between the two sides earlier in the campaign had brought them together at the top, but this result gives the hosts a slight advantage going forward.