HNK Rijeka vs Dekani

Fruk's 21st-minute opener was the moment that settled any pre-season nerves. Dekani had organised well defensively in the opening quarter-hour, but the quality of Fruk's first touch and finish — from a difficult aerial ball — forced them to open up, which played directly into Rijeka's hands for the remainder of the match.

Toni Fruk — Scored the opener with a moment of individual quality (first touch, turn, finish) that broke the deadlock. Created chances for Gojak and was a constant threat drifting from the left.

Amer Gojak (Player of the Match) — A goal and an assist. His driving run and cross set up Dantas's miss in the first half, and he was in the right place to convert Janković's delivery for the second goal. His link-up play in the final third was Rijeka's most consistent attacking outlet.

Niko Janković — Instrumental in the second goal with a surging run down the left, and later created a clear chance for Jurić. His direct running stretched Dekani throughout.

Šimun Majstorović — A goal-line clearance in the 31st minute kept the clean sheet intact, and his distribution from the back was composed.

Rijeka's 2-0 scoreline undersells their territorial dominance. The hosts created at least six clear chances (Fruk 11', Janković 18', Oreč for Adu Adjei 17', Dantas 37', Oreč 45+1', Jurić 71') beyond the two goals, while Dekani managed only Hoti's 31st-minute effort. The one-sided nature of the contest reflects the gulf between a Croatian HNL side nearing competitive match sharpness and a Slovenian second-division opponent in an earlier stage of pre-season. Rijeka's 1-0 half-time lead flattered Dekani, who barely threatened after the interval.

The win completed a clean sweep of Rijeka's pre-season friendlies since 27 June: Bravo (2-1), Brinje Grosuplje (3-0), Radomlje (2-0) and now Dekani (2-0). Four wins, 9 goals scored, 1 conceded.

More importantly, the match served as the final dress rehearsal before Rijeka's competitive season starts. They face Derry City at home in the first leg of the UEFA Conference League second qualifying round on 23 July 2026 (kick-off 20:45 CEST). The winner of that tie will face either Stjarnan (Iceland) or Ilves Tampere (Finland) in the third qualifying round.

Assistant coach Mate Maleš, standing in as the club's media representative, said: "We won, and all in all there are things we need to work on — we'll analyse that properly. I believe we'll be maximally prepared for the upcoming matches." (Source: NK Rijeka official website)

Forward Daniel Adu Adjei added: "The preparations were positive. We've adapted to the coach's new ideas. The dress rehearsal was good, but we need to improve our finishing — when we have that much possession, we have to score more goals. We have plenty of confidence and we're looking forward to the start of the season." (Source: NK Rijeka official website)

A professional, workmanlike performance — exactly what a pre-season dress rehearsal should be. Rijeka controlled the game from start to finish, created enough chances to win by a wider margin, and conceded nothing of note. The sharpness of Fruk, Gojak and Janković in the final third is a positive sign ahead of Derry City's visit, though the finishing wastefulness (Dantas, Oreč, Jurić) will need to be tightened when the stakes are real.