NK Istra 1961 earned a 2-2 draw away at HNK Hajduk Split in their Round 26/27 encounter, demonstrating resilience despite facing a dominant home side. Rokas Pukštas opened scoring for Hajduk in the 15th minute, but Emil Frederiksen equalized for Istra before the interval with a goal in the 42nd minute. Marko Livaja restored Hajduk's lead in the 84th minute, yet Istra forced parity through Dukan Ahmeti's 90'+5 finish, snatching a late point that prevented defeat on the road.
The underlying performance metrics revealed Hajduk's control throughout the match, as evidenced by their 61 percent possession advantage and superior expected goals differential of 1.67 to 0.94, yet Istra's defensive organization and clinical finishing proved decisive in the final stages. Hajduk's Performance Index of 0.55 exceeded Istra's 0.36, and they dominated shot volume with seven efforts on target to Istra's two, establishing clear territorial superiority. However, Istra's away-day efficiency cannot be overlooked: Mohamed Nasraoui's passing accuracy of 84 percent (42 of 50 passes completed) provided a stable platform for their counter-attacking approach, while Hamza Jaganjac's ball retention and dueling intensity (seven duels won) anchored their midfield resistance and set the stage for Frederiksen's early second-half breakthrough and Ahmeti's dramatic late intervention.
NK Istra 1961 izborila je remiza 2:2 u gostima kod HNK Hajduka Split u susretu 26./27. kola, pokazavši otpornost unatoč suočavanju s dominantnom domaćom postavom. Rokas Pukštas je otvorio rezultat za Hajduk u 15. minuti, no Emil Frederiksen je izjednačio za Istru prije kraja prvoga poluvremena s golom u 42. minuti. Marko Livaja je ponovno dao Hajduku prednost u 84. minuti, ali je Istra nasilila izjednačenje golom Dukana Ahmetija u 90'+5, otimajući važnu točku koja je spriječila poraz na tuđem terenu.
Analiza skrivenih metrika pokazala je Hajdukov nadzor tijekom cijelog susreta, što potvrđuje njihova prednost od 61 posto posjedovanja lopte i superiorna razlika u očekivanim golovima od 1,67 prema 0,94, no Istrina obrambena organizacija i hladnokrvno završavanje odlučili su u završnoj fazi. Hajdukov indeks performansi od 0,55 nadmašio je Istrin 0,36, a dominirali su količinom pokušaja s osam udaraca prema Istrinim dvama, uspostavljajući jasnu teritorijalnu nadmoć. Međutim, Istrina učinkovitost u gostima ne smije se zanemariti: točnost dodavanja Mohameda Nasraouija od 84 posto (42 od 50 uspješnih dodavanja) pružila je stabilnu podlogu za njihov kontranapadački pristup, dok su Ball retention i intenzitet u duelima Hamze Jaganjca (sedam dobijenih duela) usidlili njihov srednji red i stvorili platform za Frederikshenov šok u ranom dijelu drugoga poluvremena i Ahmetijevu dramatičnu intervenciju u završnici.