HNK Gorica saw off USKOK Klis 3-1 in the Round of 32 of the Cup on Tuesday evening, sending the visitors through after extra time. The match ended after four goals, with Gorica scoring three including two in extra time. Uskok took an early lead through D. Babic in the fourth minute, but the visitors turned the tie around when B. Bogojevic found the net in the seventy-sixth minute. And here's the thing — the home side were not done yet, but Gorica had the final word with P. Mijic and J. Pranjic adding goals in the ninety-ninth and hundred-fourteenth minutes respectively.
Gorica controlled more of the territory, holding sixty per cent possession against forty per cent for Uskok. The visitors launched 129 attacks compared to 102 for the hosts, and also earned twelve corners to five. Uskok managed only two shots on target from nine attempts, while Gorica matched that with two on target from eight. To be fair, neither side was particularly clinical, but the away team struck when it mattered.
Uskok had started the match brightly, taking the lead inside the first quarter of an hour. Babic's goal gave the home fans something to believe in, and they pressed for an equaliser for long stretches. But Gorica weathered the early storm and grew into the game as the ninety minutes wore on. By then, the visitors had settled into a rhythm that Uskok could not disrupt.
The away side came into this cup tie with mixed recent results, having lost their last outing 1-0 to Dinamo Zagreb and drawing 0-0 with Rijeka before that. Uskok, meanwhile, had won their previous match 4-1 against Vartekse after a loss to Dugo Selo. By then, both teams were looking to make a statement, but Gorica's experience in tighter situations showed through.
Uskok accumulated four yellow cards during the match, compared to two for Gorica, suggesting the home side were perhaps more desperate to regain control. The statistics tell a story of a match where the visitors had more possession and more attacks, but the home side did not lack for effort. Uskok's 102 attacks and five corners showed they were pushing forward, but Gorica's 129 attacks and twelve corners told a different tale.
The result sends HNK Gorica through to the next round of the Cup, while USKOK Klis can reflect on an early goal and a fight that ultimately was not enough. Four goals in extra time was not what either side expected, but football rarely runs to plan. The away team did what they needed to do.
