Jablonec overturned Varaždin's advantage and knocked them out of the Conference League
Varaždin's UEFA Conference League qualifying campaign ended after a 2:0 away defeat to Jablonec in the second qualifying round return leg on 30 July 2026. The Czech side thus overturned a 3:2 defeat from the first match and advanced to the third qualifying round with a 4:3 aggregate score. The key moments came from set pieces: the hosts took the lead in the 29th minute through an own goal by captain Robert Punčec, while Dušan Pavlović set the final score in the 54th minute. Varaždin had more possession and managed to impose a more organised style of play during certain periods, but they could not find the goal that would have taken the tie into extra time.
The elimination is particularly painful for Nikola Šafarić's team because they arrived for the return leg in Jablonec with an aggregate advantage and clear proof that they could compete on equal terms with Jablonec. In the first match, played on 23 July at the stadium in Varaždin, the hosts won 3:2 thanks to goals from Iuri Tavares, Ivan Mamut and Luka Mamić. Jablonec responded twice, through Martin Cedidla and Nemanja Tekijaški, so it was already clear after the opening 90 minutes that details would decide the return leg. It was precisely those details, above all defending set pieces and the reaction after conceding a goal, that tipped the balance in favour of the Czech side in the second match.
An early opportunity was not converted into the lead
Varaždin opened the return leg bravely and created a chance as early as the second minute that could have completely changed the course of the match. Tavares advanced down the left and sent a cut-back towards the six-yard box, where Luka Mamić shot first time, but goalkeeper Jan Hanuš reacted promptly and parried the effort. That situation demonstrated the visitors' initial intention: they did not retreat into a deep block, nor did they try merely to protect their narrow advantage from the first match. During the opening twenty minutes, Varaždin calmly played the ball out from the back, controlled midfield and restricted Jablonec to attempts without a serious finish.
The hosts gradually freed themselves from the pressure, while the match was played in demanding conditions. According to FK Jablonec's report, the temperature remained above 35 degrees Celsius even during the evening hours, which caused the tempo to drop at times and gave additional importance to concentration in duels and reactions after losing the ball. Jablonec did not register their first shot until approximately the 18th minute, when Okeke tried from distance, but Josip Silić had no major problems. Nevertheless, the Czech team began to gain space on the flanks more frequently and sought set pieces in areas from which they could threaten the Varaždin defence.
Punčec's own goal changed the balance of power
The decisive moment of the first half arrived in the 29th minute. Ivan Canjuga lost control of the ball in front of his own penalty area and stopped Lamin Jawo with a foul, after which Jablonec were awarded a free kick from an angle on the right. Jiří Sláma sent it directly towards goal and struck the crossbar, after which the ball rebounded onto Robert Punčec's head and ended up behind Silić. The Varaždin captain had no realistic possibility of avoiding the unfortunate contact, but the goal wiped out the visitors' aggregate advantage and brought the tie back to level terms.
Jablonec became more aggressive and dangerous after taking the lead. A few minutes later, the home side created another situation inside the penalty area through Jawo, but his shot was blocked, while David Sedláček headed the ball narrowly over the crossbar in the 39th minute. Varaždin, on the other hand, lost some of the composure they had shown at the start of the match after conceding. Possession still often belonged to the visitors, but their circulation of the ball no longer provided the same penetration, and Hanuš was not tested by a shot that could seriously threaten the Czech lead before half-time.
According to the statistics published in the Czech match report, Varaždin ultimately had 64 per cent possession, but only two shots on target. Jablonec registered seven shots on target despite having 36 per cent possession, which shows that the hosts were more direct and effective whenever they found space. The possession figures therefore did not reflect the true level of danger in front of goal. Varaždin spent more time on the ball, but the Czech team converted set pieces, second balls and quick transitions into chances more effectively.
Pavlović punished another lapse after a set piece
At the start of the second half, Šafarić attempted to change his team's structure by introducing Gregor Sikošek in place of Matej Vuk. Varaždin had to seek a goal, but before they managed to establish sustained pressure, Jablonec scored for the second time in the 54th minute. Sláma took a corner, the ball travelled through the crowd at the near post, Jawo directed it onwards, and Dušan Pavlović reacted promptly in a tight space and scored from close range for 2:0. It was his first goal in a Jablonec shirt and, for the hosts, the goal that completely reversed the aggregate score.
Both goals in the return leg arose from situations for which Varaždin had specifically prepared, according to coach Šafarić. A similar problem was also visible in the first match, when Jablonec likewise created danger from set pieces and Tekijaški scored from a corner to make it 2:1 at the time. In European qualifying matches, where ties are often evenly balanced and decided by small margins, defending free kicks and corners can carry as much weight as open play. Across the two matches, Jablonec showed greater precision and determination in precisely that area.
After the second goal, Šafarić responded with a double substitution, bringing on Ivan Mamut and Mario Marina. Varaždin took the initiative, pushed their lines higher and increasingly sent more players towards the hosts' penalty area. However, the pressure mostly lacked the final pass that would have created a clear opportunity. The most dangerous attempt came in the 72nd minute, when Canjuga drove the attack forward and shot from the edge of the penalty area, but Hanuš was secure once again.
Possession without a sufficient number of clear chances
Varaždin needed one goal to force extra time, but as the match moved towards its conclusion, Jablonec defended the space in front of their own goal with increasing success. The home team did not retreat completely, instead looking for opportunities on the counterattack and coming close to a third goal several times. Sedláček shot wide in the 76th minute, while the ball was cleared close to the goal line late on following an attempt by Vakhtang Čanturišvili. Such situations forced Varaždin to continue paying attention to their balance, even though the score demanded ever greater risk.
The visitors continued trying to create uncertainty during stoppage time through long balls and crosses. Mamut fired over the crossbar on the turn, while in the final moments the ball ended up in Jablonec's net, but the goal was disallowed for offside. That also extinguished the final possibility of a comeback. After a total of 180 minutes, Jablonec advanced with a one-goal aggregate advantage, while Varaždin were left without a reward for a good portion of their play across both matches.
Varaždin's line-up in the return leg consisted of Josip Silić, Ivan Maglica, Robert Punčec, Sven Lesjak, Luka Škaričić, Tomislav Duvnjak, Ivan Canjuga, Matej Vuk, Luka Mamić, Iuri Tavares and Aleksa Latković. Sikošek, Mamut, Marina, Bojan Mladenovski and Jurić were given opportunities during the second half. Jablonec started with Hanuš in goal and a line-up that also included Martin Cedidla, Nemanja Tekijaški, Dušan Pavlović, Jiří Sláma, Okeke, David Sedláček, Vakhtang Čanturišvili, Filip Zorvan, Matěj Polidar and Lamin Jawo.
Šafarić: Europe punishes every mistake
Nikola Šafarić did not hide his disappointment after the match. In a statement carried by HRT, he congratulated Jablonec but emphasised that Varaždin had complicated the situation themselves through mistakes and had conceded from precisely the actions about which the coaching staff had warned. He was particularly troubled by the fact that the team lost some of its belief and energy after the first goal, even though the aggregate score was level at that point and the match remained completely open. The coach assessed that a louder reaction and a player capable of lifting the team were missing in those moments.
Šafarić also highlighted the difference in the execution of set pieces. In his assessment, Jablonec delivered every ball from such situations into a precisely designated area, while the European level punishes even the smallest error in positioning or concentration. That analysis corresponds with the course of the tie: both goals in the Czech Republic came after set pieces, while Jablonec also scored once from a corner in the first match. Varaždin demonstrated technical quality and the ability to control possession in open play, but the sharpest aspect of the Czech plan remained insufficiently neutralised.
The advantage from the first match was not enough
The first meeting in Varaždin offered a different picture and many more changes in the score. Tavares put the hosts ahead in the 24th minute after a pass from Canjuga, but Cedidla equalised only three minutes later. Jablonec completed the turnaround through Tekijaški in the 56th minute, when he was left unmarked at the far post following a corner. Varaždin came back through Mamut's headed goal in the 68th minute, again from a Canjuga assist, while Mamić finished off an attractive move in the 82nd minute to secure a 3:2 victory.
That match confirmed that Varaždin could create opportunities against a physically strong opponent, but it also warned of their vulnerability when defending crosses. The narrow advantage did not permit passivity in the return leg, and the opening of the match in Jablonec showed that the visitors understood this. However, after the early opportunity went unused, the tie gradually moved into the area in which the hosts were most dangerous. Jablonec built a score from two set-piece situations which they could then defend with a more compact formation and the threat of counterattacks.
For Varaždin, the European campaign was the result of finishing third in the Croatian league in the 2025/26 season. Jablonec finished the previous Czech league season in fifth place and entered Conference League qualifying following a subsequent reallocation of European places. According to available UEFA information and reports concerning the draw, the Czech club received a place in the second qualifying round after changes that followed Karviná's exclusion from European competitions. The tie against Varaždin thus became part of the Czech team's unusual qualifying path, and they took advantage of the opportunity to secure at least two more European matches.
Jablonec face RFS, Varaždin turn their attention to the domestic season
In the third qualifying round, Jablonec will play against Latvia's RFS, who eliminated Icelandic side Vestri by a 5:2 aggregate score. UEFA scheduled the first legs of that round for 6 August and the return legs for 13 August 2026. The Czech team will host the first match, after which the return leg will follow in Riga. To qualify for the Conference League league phase, the winner of that tie will still have to overcome the final play-off round.
Following their elimination, Varaždin return to domestic duties and the start of the new league season. According to the schedule reported by HRT, Šafarić's team will play their first league match at home against Hajduk. The European episode ended earlier than the club had hoped, but the two matches against Jablonec provided a clear indication of the areas in which the team can be competitive and those in which it must improve. The organisation of play, possession and ability to create opportunities in the first match remain a positive foundation, while defending set pieces, reacting after conceding and greater efficiency in finishing will be themes that shape the rest of the season.
Sources:
- UEFA – official data on the first Varaždin – Jablonec match, scorers, line-ups and qualifying schedule (link)
- UEFA – official overview of the 2026/27 Conference League qualifying dates and fixtures (link)
- FK Jablonec – official report from the return leg, match chronology, line-ups and playing conditions (link)
- HRT/Hina – report from the Jablonec – Varaždin match and description of the key opportunities (link)
- HRT/NK Varaždin – statement by coach Nikola Šafarić after the elimination (link)
- iSport.cz – statistical data from the return leg, including possession and shots (link)