Two goals. Clean sheet. Hajduk hold the advantage.
2-0 at Stadion Poljud. The second leg is in Žilina on July 16. Hajduk need to protect a two-goal lead or add to it. Žilina need to score twice and concede nothing just to force extra time.
That is the situation. Hajduk created it. Žilina have a week to figure out how to undo it.
Hajduk at Home. Always Dangerous.
Stadion Poljud on a European night. 35,000 capacity. Loud from the first whistle. The Hajduk ultras — the Torcida — creating the kind of atmosphere that visiting sides from smaller European markets find difficult to deal with.
Žilina had never won in Split before. They drew 0-0 here in the 2009/10 qualifying round when these clubs last met. They had not beaten Hajduk in any competitive meeting. The head-to-head shows one win for Žilina, one draw, zero Hajduk wins — the Slovaks have the historical edge. It did not show up on Thursday.
Hajduk were sharper. More direct. Better in the duels. Žilina had their moments but Poljud rarely lets visiting sides play freely. The crowd and the surface both work for Hajduk.
Two goals. No goals conceded. Job done for the home side.
What Žilina Must Do
They need to win in Slovakia. Not draw. Win.
A 1-0 win in Žilina sends the tie to extra time and penalties. A 2-0 win and the aggregate is level over 180 minutes with the away goals rule — wait, there are no away goals in UEFA competition anymore. Level on aggregate after 90 minutes in Žilina goes to extra time regardless.
So Žilina need to score twice and concede nothing just to force extra time at their own ground. Two goals against a Hajduk defence that kept a clean sheet at Poljud in the first leg.
The Žilina atmosphere for European nights at Stadion pod Dubňom can be significant. But the task is enormous.
This Fixture Has History
These clubs last met in 2009/10 UEFA Cup — now called the Europa League. Žilina won that tie 2-1 on aggregate. A 1-0 win at their own ground after a 0-0 in Split. They know Hajduk. They have beaten Hajduk.
That was 17 years ago. Different squads. Different managers. Different version of both clubs.
Hajduk won the Croatian First Football League this season. Croatian champions. Back in European football proper. The support around the club is enormous. Torcida are one of the oldest and most passionate ultras groups in European football. Thursday they turned up and delivered.
Žilina won the Slovak Super Liga this season. Slovak champions. Their European campaigns have been respectable over the years. This tie was always going to be competitive.
Thursday the competitiveness showed. Two goals separated them. Could have been more. Could have been closer. 2-0 feels about right.
Hajduk Into the Second Round Favourites
Win in Žilina or hold the lead and Hajduk face another qualifying round. The path through Europa League qualifying involves multiple legs across July and August before clubs reach the group stage.
Two-nil from the first leg at home means Hajduk control their own destiny. They need to travel to Slovakia and do what well-organised European clubs do — defend the lead, stay compact, hit on the counter.
Žilina need a miracle. Or at least a very good second leg.
For more UEFA Europa League qualifying coverage visit FawaNews football. Full qualifying bracket and fixtures at the official UEFA Europa League website.
HNK Hajduk Split 2-0 MŠK Žilina UEFA Europa League 2026/27 — First Qualifying Round, First Leg | Thursday, 9 July 2026 | Stadion Poljud, Split, Croatia
Previous meeting: 2009/10 UEFA Cup qualifying — Žilina won 2-1 on aggregate (0-0 in Split, 2-0 in Žilina) Hajduk: Croatian First Football League champions 2025-26 Žilina: Slovak Super Liga champions 2025-26
H2H (2 meetings): Hajduk 0W | 1D | Žilina 1W | Goals: Hajduk 1 Žilina 2
Second Leg: MŠK Žilina vs HNK Hajduk Split | 16 July 2026 | Stadion pod Dubňom, Žilina, Slovakia
HT: 1-0 | FT: 2-0
