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By:
Arsim Magjera
- February 2, 2024 11:01 AM
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Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split are the biggest and most popular Croatian teams. But it is Rijeka that currently leads in the Croatian championship. This is also thanks to the supergoal that Lindon Selahi scored last weekend at the Hajduk stadium in Split, in the famous "Poludin".
VIDEO OF THE GOAL:
Rijeka defeated Hajduk with a score of 2:1, while Selahi scored the winning goal in the 75th minute with a masterful shot. The stadium was overflowing with 35 spectators, who turned their eyes towards the Albanian when he scored the decisive goal and celebrated passionately, among other things, making the image of a double-headed eagle.
A few days before the match in "Polud", the 24-year-old midfielder continued his contract with Rijeka. Thus, within a few days, the career of the footballer born in Belgium was back on track.
"I had two difficult months in Rijeka. We have not reached an agreement with the club leaders. Sometimes I trained with the first team and sometimes not. I kind of got sidetracked. It is true that they contacted me several times from Hajduku and asked me about the situation at the club. So they were interested in me. But my idea from the beginning was to continue with Rijeka, although 4-5 other teams have shown interest, not only in Croatia. But I have assessed that it is not right to change the team in the middle of the championship and finally we reached the agreement and I continued the contract. Then came the goal against Hajduk in Split", Selahi told KOHEN. He has hinted that in the summer there may be a move towards a bigger European club, but he has said that at the moment he is only focused on appearances for Rijeka.
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Derbies in "Polud", like this one of Adriatik, which was the 100th in a row, are never easy for Hajduk's opponents. Hajduk fans, known throughout Europe as "Torcida", are passionate. For the rival teams, especially for Dinamo, they make it quite difficult.
The atmosphere in the stadium in Split seems to have motivated Selah.
"There were 35 spectators, but I had a calm mind. But I was also emotional, as I knew that my family was watching the game. I celebrated with an eagle, as I celebrate every goal like that. I want everyone to know that I am Albanian and that I am very proud of it. I also want to celebrate with the symbol of the red and black flag, which is the best flag in the world", emphasized Selahi.
He started his career in Belgium, while he also developed at Standard Liege and Anderlecht. At the adult level, he started at Standard. Then he played at Twente in the Netherlands, while he was also on loan at Willem II. From 2021, he is in Rijeka.
"I played in Feyenoord in front of 50 spectators, also against Ajax. But in 'Polud' it is much more difficult to play. The fans from Split love Hajduk very much. The earth shakes. It is not easy for the opposing players, there are many insults, but I was focused on the game and I did not see anything else. Only after I scored the goal, I turned to the spectators and realized what an important goal I had scored", said Selahi.
He estimates that the competition for the title with Hajduk and Dinamo will be very strong. But he says that everything is in the hands of Rijeka.
Before moving to Rijeka, Selah from Croatia had only known Dinamo and Hajduk. He says that the club is very professional, very organized and with very good working conditions. Even as a city he says that Rijeka is very beautiful.
Selahi started his career with Belgium U16, while he then played for Albania's U17 and U21. He has made four appearances for the National A team of Albania. He made his debut on October 14, 2019. He last played on November 18, 2020, while he was last collected on March 27 last year, in a match against Poland.
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"Since then, I have not had any contact with the National Team. I always aim to play for Albania. It is true that I am in very good shape here in Croatia and I can admit that I am targeting the invitation from Albania. Appearing in the European Championship with Albania would be something extraordinary for me. It would be great. Based on the form I am going through, I can say that I am waiting for the invitation. But of course this decision belongs to the selector. I respect his every decision. I have to continue to work hard and present myself even better", said Selahi.
If he continues with the form he showed against Hajduk, Selahi could be included in Sylvinho's plans.
