Victor Sanchez (foto: Uradni facebook profil kluba)
Rijeka were thrashed 4–0 by Gorica in a shock HNL result, marking Victor Sánchez’s heaviest defeat since working in Slovenia and Croatia.
HNK Gorica produced one of the biggest surprises of the Croatian league season by defeating favoured Rijeka 4–0 at home in the 27th round. For head coach Victor Sánchez, formerly of Olimpija Ljubljana, it was the heaviest defeat since he began working in Slovenia and Croatia.
The undisputed hero of the night was Bruno Bogojević, who scored a hat-trick against his former club to seal a memorable victory.
Gorica took the lead as early as the 12th minute when Ante Erceg finished off an excellent assist from Poz, who had won possession high up the pitch and launched a quick counterattack. Rijeka then controlled possession and searched for an equaliser but lacked precision in the final third.
The hosts put the game beyond doubt in the second half. In the 70th minute, Bogojević struck a superb volley to double the advantage, and six minutes later he completed his hat-trick with a precise shot from the edge of the penalty area to make it 4–0.
The victory lifted Gorica further away from the relegation zone and above Lokomotiva in the standings, while Rijeka remained third despite the heavy defeat.
After the match, Sánchez admitted his team had fallen short in key aspects of the game.
“I told them how important it was to win duels, but we failed both defensively and offensively. We conceded from their first chance. I think fatigue also played a role,” he said.
Despite back-to-back defeats, the Spanish coach remains optimistic.
“Now we must rest and prepare for the final stretch of the season. We are still third, and our goal is to keep that position and fight for the cup.”
Only the Spanish giants inflicted heavier defeats
Although the loss in Velika Gorica was painful, Sánchez has experienced even harsher results in his career. The worst came in 2016 when, as coach of Deportivo La Coruña, his side suffered a historic 0–8 home defeat to Barcelona at the Riazor Stadium.
His second-heaviest loss also came with Deportivo, a 0–4 defeat to Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu.
During his time at Olimpija, his biggest setback was a 4–1 loss to Cercle Brugge in the Conference League in Ljubljana.
The defeat against Gorica therefore ranks among the most painful of his coaching career — and stands as the worst since he began working in the Balkan region.