Jadran LP Grinds Out 2-1 Away Triumph Over Uljanik to Leap Into Promotion Hunt in Croatia’s Second NL

It was an afternoon thick with autumnal tension at Stadion Veruda, the kind that hangs in the air when two ambitious sides are separated by a single point and the season’s stakes are sharpening with each passing week. In the end, it was Jadran LP who seized the initiative and eked out a hard-fought 2-1 victory against Uljanik, the kind of statement win that will echo down the corridors of a tightly congested Second NL table.

Where the first act belonged to Uljanik, whose urgency was apparent from the opening exchanges, the plot twisted early. Having bounced back last week with a measured 1-0 home win, Uljanik’s confidence was visible in crisp interplay and early pressing. For a side that had suffered a sobering 0-1 defeat at Varteks Varaždin just eight days ago, this was a chance at home to reassert their top-four credentials.

Yet Jadran LP, perhaps buoyed by their own recent resurgence—coming in unbeaten in four and with a rousing 4-0 demolition of Trnje fresh in mind—refused to be cowed. Their discipline paid off midway through the first half. A piercing run down the left drew the Uljanik backline narrow, before a low cross evaded the crowd and found Jadran’s forward in space. With a deft first touch, he rifled a shot low past the sprawling keeper, putting the visitors ahead and momentarily silencing Stadion Veruda.

If the early setback rattled Uljanik, they did not show it. What followed was a stretch of sustained pressure—overlapping runs, corners whipped in with menace, and a palpable sense that an equalizer would come. And in the 41st minute, it did. Uljanik’s captain, a steadying force all autumn, rose to meet a perfectly weighted free kick, glancing a header off the far post and in. The roar that greeted the goal lifted the home side, dragging the contest level and setting a fevered tone for the second half.

But the script would favor the visitors again, and it turned on a moment of individual brilliance early after the interval. Jadran LP’s winger, a livewire throughout, seized on a loose ball just outside the area. With a swivel, he evaded his marker and let fly from distance. The shot, searing low and true, bent inside the post beyond Uljanik’s despairing goalkeeper: 2-1, and a second away win in as many weeks now within their grasp.

As the match wore on, Uljanik pressed for parity. The midfield, marshaled with resolve, probed and prodded at Jadran’s disciplined back line. Twice, the home side threatened from set pieces, forcing sharp saves from the Jadran keeper. Tensions boiled over in the 78th minute when a clattering challenge in midfield sparked a shoving match; the referee diffused the situation with a stern warning, though no cards were drawn.

By the closing stages, Uljanik threw numbers forward, searching for the point that would keep them atop the fray in the hunt for promotion. But Jadran’s composure never wavered. The visitors closed ranks, snuffed out late attacks with tactical fouls, and managed the clock expertly through four tense minutes of stoppage time.

Implications for the Table and What Lies Ahead

For Uljanik, the defeat stings not only for its timing—the club now sits fifth with 13 points from seven matches—but for its context. A week removed from an encouraging bounce-back win, they have dropped six points in their last three league matches, and the specter of that 0-4 cup hammering at the hands of NK Osijek still lingers. With promotion playoff aspirations alive but now under real pressure, Uljanik’s focus must sharpen ahead of a tricky run as the season’s midpoint approaches.

Jadran LP, meanwhile, have vaulted into fourth place with 14 points, leapfrogging their rivals and closing the gap on the league’s frontrunners. The team’s recent form—a 4-0 rout, hard-fought away wins, and a resilient draw against Grobničan Čavle—paints the picture of a side unafraid of the road and undaunted by adversity. They have now claimed three victories and a draw in their last four, and the momentum behind this October surge is unmistakable.

Though recent head-to-head history between these sides offered little to separate them, today’s contest may well mark a turning point as autumn gives way to winter in Croatia’s second tier. Jadran’s ability to absorb pressure and strike on the break makes them a dangerous out for any of the promotion contenders.

For Uljanik, the margin for error narrows. For Jadran LP, the dream of climbing further up the Second NL is suddenly alive and urgent—each point, each hard-earned win, now weighted with the possibilities of spring.