HNK Rijeka secured an important 2-1 away win over Rudeš in the 10th round of the Croatian First Football League in Velika Gorica. The three points temporarily lifted them to third place in the table, above Dinamo Zagreb, despite coach Matjaž Kek's dissatisfaction with the performance.
Samuele Vignato put Rijeka ahead in the fifth minute, and Toni Fruk sealed the win in the 74th after the hosts were reduced to ten men. Vedran Celjak was sent off in the 73rd minute for a foul on Emmanuel Adu-Adjei. Rudeš pulled one back through Noa Skoko in the fourth minute of added time, but it was not enough for a comeback.
Kek critical of uncertainty
Rijeka's coach Matjaž Kek did not hide his disappointment after the victory. "We are really like masochists, it's incredible how we complicate the match, we should have settled everything long before the end," said Kek. "You could see the uncertainty, the early goal relaxed us, but we lack the hunger to score more goals."
The win gave Rijeka 17 points, placing them between second-placed Varaždin (18) and fourth-placed Dinamo (16). Hajduk Split leads the league with 19 points. Currently, according to our verified data, Rijeka sits fifth with 14 points from eight matches played, five points behind leaders Hajduk.
Focus turns to Cup and derby
"It was only important to win, and now we are thinking about the Cup in three days," added Kek. Rijeka will face Karlovac in the Croatian Cup quarter-final on Monday. After that comes a major league challenge, an away match against third-placed Dinamo Zagreb on October 24th. The last meeting between the two sides at Stadion Rujevica ended goalless.
The team enters this key part of the season with mixed recent form, having won three and lost two of their last five matches. Following a brilliant win over Hajduk, they suffered a heavy defeat to Slaven Belupo before this victory in Velika Gorica. The team's top scorer this season is Emmanuel Adu-Adjei with four goals.
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Manager Matjaž Kek confirmed the win was key. "It was only important to win, and now we're thinking about the Cup," said Kek. The club confirmed they will face Karlovac in the Croatian Cup quarter-final on Monday. According to our verified data, Rijeka is third with 17 points, two behind leaders Hajduk.
The club confirmed details of the win over Rudeš. According to our verified data, Rijeka is third in the league with 17 points, two behind leaders Hajduk. Toni Fruk assisted the first goal by Samuele Vignato and then scored for 2:0. Rudeš pulled one back in the fourth minute of added time through a goal by Noa Skoko.
