The ninth round of the HNL was played, and Dinamo defeated Rudeš, Hajduk barely won
OSIJEK – VARAŽDIN 1:1 (Mierez 54’/Elezi 14′)
OSIJEK: Malenica – Guedes, Duarte, Manev, Drambajev (Gržan 72′) – Garmash (Pušić 62′), Brlek (Nejašmić 81′) – Bukvić (Fiolić 81′), Caktaš, Omerović (Lovrić 72′) – Mierez
VARAŽDIN: Zelenika – Vukčević (Škaričić 74′), Jelenić, Pellumbi, Boršić – Postonjski, Pilj (Mištrafović 89′), Elezi (Marina 56′) – Mitrovski (Vuk 89′), Brodić, Drožđek (Banovec 74′)
It is not just getting a training center that is necessary for success. It is necessary to have both head and tail in the game. It is necessary not to lose points. Especially not in the way that Osijek knows how to do it – in the last twenty minutes the game falls and they lose points and games.
With this match, Osijek stopped a streak of two defeats, but there is still no victory. Varaždin didn’t play anything particularly high quality, but Osijek wasn’t particularly in the mood to play either. Osijek had a bad first half, but they still tried to do something.
Varaždin took the lead in the 14th minute through Elezio, but that was almost all their play. Osijek leveled the score in the 54th minute through Mierez, but failed to turn the score in their favor. It was a gloomy game. What led to that? We don’t know, but we do know that visits to the stadium at Osijek’s matches will be less and less if they continue like this.
Osijek is to blame for its own results. No one else is to blame for that. Why did they appoint a coach who loses already secured points? Why did they appoint a coach who does not know how to close the game? Only people from Osijek know that.
ISTRIA 1961 – GORICA 0:1 (Majstorović 36′)
ISTRIA 1961: Majkić – Hujber (Ekong 46′), Iovu (Josipovič 71′), Marešić, Devetak – Kadušić (Lisica 63′), Petrusenko, Maurić (Nebyla 63′), Valinčić – Erceg, Vuk (Čuić 46′)
GORICA: Banić – Raspopović (Munksgaard 59′), Maloča, Krizmanić, Štiglec – Mrzljak, Pršir (Kapulica 71′) – Majstorović (Soldo 59′), Ndockyt (Leš 87′), Mitrović – Vujnović (Jurić 71′)
Istra and Gorica played a fairly fair game. There were opportunities on both sides, but in the first 20 minutes the main actor of the match was the referee. Although Ista was more specific, Gorica took the lead through Majstorović in the 36th minute. This result remained as the final result of the match.
HAJDUK – LOKOMOTIVA 1:0 (Sahiti 76′)
HAJDUK: Lučić – Mikanović (Moufi 58′), Uremović (Ferro 74′), Elez, Melnjak – Sigur (Žaper 57′), Krovinović – Sahiti 7 (Kalik 90′), Benrahou, Dajaku (Trajkovski 58′) – Livaja
LOKOMOTIVA: Čavlina – Bartolec (Vranjković 83′), Mersinaj, Kalaica, Milićević – Bubanja (Kanižaj 83′) Marić – Goričan (Fetai 66′), Mudražija (Bulatović 46′), Šoticek (Smakaj 83′) – Tuci
Emir Sahiti finally scored this season, and Hajduk won. With this victory, Hajduk moved away from the negative environment. They went further in the cup and won the last match of the HNL, thereby ensuring peace before the match with Dinamo.
Hajduk had a game, squeezed Lokomotiva, but it just didn’t work out. It was as if there was no idea to implement, but as time went on, combinatorics fell and in many situations it was as if it was not there. In this way, Čavlina had a peaceful half-time in Split.
In the first half, Hajduk had several opportunities, but nothing concrete happened. Even Lokomotiva tried to play, but they had no idea how to score a goal.
In the second half, Hajduk played better than the first half. Hajduk created opportunities, but it only paid off in the 76th minute of the match. The shooter was Sahiti. With this result, Hajduk kept first place ahead of Rijeka and Dinamo, who have a game less.
SLAVEN BELUPO – RIJEKA 0:1 (Galešić 39′)
SLAVEN BELUPO: Sušak – Bosec, Božić, Boras, Štefulj – Lepinjica, Mioč (Agbekpornu 77′) – Šakota (Nongoh 46′), Liber (Račić 86′), Hoxha – Štrkalj (Ortiz 70′)
RIJEKA: Labrović – Smolčić, Galesić, Mitrović, Goda – Selahi (Banda 75′) – Pašalić (from 60. Obregon), Fruk, Janković (Grgić 75′), Pjaca (Radeljić 81′) – Ivanović (Hodža 46′)
The goal for Rijeka is to take all three points wherever they play. It was the same this time in Koprivnica. Rijeka celebrated 1:0, although they did not excel in their game. Both the hosts and guests were organized and had a very strong attitude in the game.
Rijeka was more concrete, they pressed the host in his half.
Both created opportunities, but there was no realization. Slaven Belupo had a disciplined game in defense, which made Pjac, Pašalić and Ivanović less visible. Someone had to take responsibility, and Niko Galešić did it at Rijeka.
Namely, in the 39th minute of the match, Niko Galešić scored to give Rijeka the lead. That score remained the final score until the end of the match. In the continuation of the match, we could see how everything went as it was in the first half. Rijeka was more specific, but the result did not change.
RUDEŠ – DINAMO 1:5 (Mašala 84’/Drmić 27′, 48′, 58′, Emreli 38′, Vidović 53′)
RUDEŠ: Kralj – Bašić, Camara, Matić – Šehić (Rešetar 82′), Vukmanović (Srbljinović 63′), Pasariček, Pešić (Špeljak 46′) – Latković (Lazarov 46′), Kovačević (Mašala 63′), Tomečak
DINAMO: Nevistić – Moharrami, Bernauer, Perić, Mihajličenko – Sučić, Ljubičić (Ademi 63′) – Emreli (Marin 73′), Baturina (Halilović 63′), Vidović (Rukavina 73′) – Drmić (Kulenović 62′)
Finally, Dinamo lost. Although they played against Rudeš, who won only one point in the first round of the competition, Dinamo found a way to play. Why is this important? Because even against others they struggled and were clueless. All these years, they started the season masterfully, so the form was falling. Is it different this time? We will see.
Dinamo put on a show in Kranjčević’s match, even though they played in a different and changed lineup. Dinamo is currently third in the standings with two points less than the leading Hajduk, but also with a game in hand.
Sergej Jakirović’s team looked dangerous and serious, dismayed and motivated. Dinamo scored ten goals in the last two games. Yes, one opponent was at a higher level, that is, he was a European opponent in a European competition. On the other hand, Dinamo played in the championship match against a team that won only one point in the first round of the competition.
With this, Dinamo announced the match in Split in the best way, in which the host will have to be maximally concentrated and will have to watch what they are doing. Dinamo entered the tempo and raised their level of play in all matches. Because keeping a high tempo of the game and playing in a strong rhythm from the first to the last second is not easy at all.
Maybe a good derby is waiting for us next Sunday. And for Rudeš, it is still a problem to find how to win points. There they managed to defeat Hrvatsko Dragovoljac, who won four points in the first round of the competition a few seasons ago. I guess Rudeš is destined to be immediately relegated to the second tier of the competition.
