HNK Gorica vs Zorya Luhansk

Zorya opened the scoring inside the first quarter-hour. Budkivskyi — the experienced Ukrainian striker who captained the side — found the net in the 15th minute to put the Croatian top-flight side on the back foot. The Ukrainian side controlled the remainder of the first half and went into the break 1-0 up.

Gorica received a yellow card early in the second half (54th minute) but the card seemed to galvanise them rather than subdue them. The introduction of Epailly injected fresh energy into Gorica's attack.

Epailly struck in the 74th minute to level the scores, and before Zorya could regroup, he bagged his second just two minutes later — a quickfire double in the 74th and 76th minutes that flipped the match completely. Gorica held on through the final quarter-hour to secure the comeback win.

Epailly's introduction as a substitute proved decisive. His first goal in the 74th minute was a poacher's finish that gave Zorya goalkeeper Kosivsky (who replaced Rybak at half-time) no chance. With Zorya still processing the equaliser, Epailly struck again from open play in the 76th minute, completing a two-goal swing in 120 seconds that the Ukrainian side could not recover from.

Thomas Epailly (HNK Gorica) — Two goals in three minutes off the bench. The Frenchman's impact was immediate and match-winning. A classic substitute's performance that every manager dreams of in pre-season.

Pylyp Budkivskyi (Zorya Luhansk) — The Zorya captain opened the scoring with a composed 15th-minute finish and led the line well for 71 minutes before being substituted. The veteran forward showed his quality even in a losing cause.

Zorya first-half defence — The entire back five of Rybak, Esquina, Jordan, Kravets and Perduta kept a clean sheet for 45 minutes against a Gorica side that finished eighth in the Croatian HNL last season.

Zorya made 11 substitutions across the match (all six outfield changes at half-time plus five more in the second half), reflecting the experimental nature of a pre-season friendly. Gorica's single yellow card (54th minute) was the only booking of the game. The three goals all came from open play with no assists recorded in the provider data, suggesting individual moments of quality rather than structured build-up play.

For HNK Gorica, this result provides a positive note in their pre-season build-up ahead of the 2026-27 HNL campaign, which begins at home against NK Osijek. For Zorya Luhansk, this was the second of several planned friendlies during their training camp in Slovenia. The Ukrainian side will take positives from a dominant first-half display but will want to address the defensive lapse that allowed the two quick-fire goals.

A textbook pre-season friendly: one team dominates the first half, the other makes tactical adjustments and substitutions that turn the game. Epailly's quickfire double was the difference, but neither side will read too much into the result at this stage of their preparations.