HNK Rijeka suffered a heavy 5-0 defeat to Danish side FC Midtjylland in the UEFA Conference League play-off round first leg. The match, played on 20 August 2026, ended in complete dominance for the visitors, as reported by TNT Sports.
Rijeka entered the match with decent domestic form in the HNL, where they currently sit 5th with 6 points from three games. Their league goal difference is even, with five scored and five conceded. However, in Europe they faced a completely different challenge.
How did the match against Midtjylland unfold?
The defeat started early with an own goal by Mario Erlić in the 5th minute, giving the visitors an early lead. Seniormu Iheanacho extended Midtjylland's advantage in the 18th minute. In the second half, the Danish team completely dismantled the game. Dilan Osorio scored in the 52nd minute, and Mathias Jensen added another just five minutes later. Gu Sung-jun, known as G. Cho, scored the final goal in the 79th minute for the 5-0 result.
This scoreline leaves Rijeka with a nearly impossible task in the return leg in Denmark. The club must now recover quickly as they visit Gorica in the 4th round of the HNL on Sunday, 31 August. Gorica currently sits 10th in the table, which should be an opportunity to restore confidence. You can follow all upcoming matches on our fixtures page.
What is Rijeka's current position in the HNL?
Despite the European disappointment, Rijeka has a solid start to the domestic championship. With two wins and one loss from three rounds, the club is in 5th place. Their recent league form is WLW, showing an ability to bounce back quickly. However, being three points behind leaders Dinamo Zagreb requires consistency.
Immediately after the Gorica match, attention will turn to the Midtjylland return leg. The coach and players will have the difficult job of motivating themselves after such a defeat. You can check the player squad and statistics on our squad and stats pages.
What does this defeat mean for European ambitions?
A 5-0 defeat in the first leg of the play-off round practically eliminates Rijeka from the UEFA Conference League for this season. There are few examples of such a deficit being overturned in a return leg. The club will now have to focus completely on domestic competition.
The goal will be to maintain a position at the top of the HNL and qualify for European competition next season. The current standings show the competition is strong, but Rijeka has the quality to compete. The European loss can free up the schedule, but it also delivers a financial and psychological blow. The next few weeks will be key in determining the direction of the season.
