HNK Rijeka advances to Conference League play-offs after draw in Finland

HNK Rijeka has secured a place in the UEFA Conference League play-off round after drawing 1-1 against Finnish side Ilves in Tampere. This result gives Rijeka a 2-1 aggregate victory following their 1-0 win in the first leg.

In the second leg, Ilves took a surprising lead in the 64th minute through Stanislav Baranov. However, Rijeka responded quickly in the 70th minute when Justas Lasickas scored the equalizer. Despite challenges adapting to the artificial turf and dealing with injuries to key players like Toni Fruk, Rijeka managed to maintain control to advance.

Rijeka will now face either Midtjylland or Bohemians in the play-off round. The advancement also brings significant financial implications, as the club has already earned substantial UEFA prize money through previous qualifying rounds.