RIJEKA, Croatia (Dec. 11, 2025) (Interstat) — Rijeka opened its Europa League campaign with a commanding 3-0 victory over Celje on Thursday at Stadion HNK Rijeka, defying a pre-match projection of a draw.

Forward Daniel Adu-Adjei broke a scoreless deadlock in the 55th minute. Midfielder Dejan Petrovič, who also assisted on the opener, doubled the lead in the 71st. Toni Fruk added a third in the 78th, assisted by substitute Juanjo Nieto.

The match turned decisively when Celje’s Artemijus Tutyškinas received a red card in the 75th minute. The visitors, held to zero goals, recorded three yellow cards. Rijeka’s Ante Majstorović and Petrovič were also booked.

The result gives Rijeka a winning start in European play, while Celje begins with a loss. Interstat’s pre-game model had given Rijeka a 57.4% chance to win.