Written by dinamofan:), CSR HNL correspondent
Here are the results for Dec. 4-6…
Međimurje [ 1-4 ] Dinamo Zagreb
Dinamo Zagreb will go into the winter break with a six point lead over contenders Cibalia and Šibenik after a 4-1 come from behind victory against Međimurje on Sunday. Međimurje managed to get a first half goal and go into halftime up 1-0. Dinamo must have a got a pretty good lift during the halftime chat as they completely controlled the second half; scoring four unanswered goals. Pedro Morales got the Dinamo scoring off to a start with a nice low shot to the corner with Miroslav Slepička following for a 2-1 lead. Andrej Kramarić ended the game with two goals for himself. Let’s see what Dinamo does during the winter transfer window and if they can manage a Europa League knockout round birth.
NK Zadar [1 – 2] Hajduk Split
Hajduk Split look to finally be making progress in the league after their latest victory over out of form NK Zadar. Edoardo Reja could once again count on the services of Hrvoje Vejić and Ivan Strinić and gave a start to youngster Duje Čop who has performed well in recent Cup matches. Mario Tičinović and Marin Tomasov were also recalled. Hajduk got the start they were looking for when Stjepan Skočibušić put through a ball into his own net giving Hajduk an early lead. Duje Čop got a second before Antonio Mršić pulled one back in the second half. Hajduk stay in sixth place but are just one point behind Slaven Belupo who are in fifth and Karlovac in fourth. Hajduk did a big favor for Igor Štimac, as NK Zadar are a club who are being chased down by his in form NK Zagreb side.
NK Osijek [3 – 0] HNK Šibenik
This match was seen as a clash of two of the strongest teams in the league and Osijek aimed to take full advantage of the absence of Šibenik’s two best players, Mehmed Alispahić and Ermin Zec. Osijek made their breakthrough midway through the first half when Croatian under 21 defender Domogoj Vida struck. Vida was also inspirational in the scoring as he crossed for Josip Barišić to dispatch the ball into the back of the net. Subsitute Vedran Nikisić scored the third to wrap up a comprehensive win, which moves Osijek up to fourth place. Tomislav Steinbruckner will be extremely pleased what he has seen from his young side in the first half of the season, which has given the club a lot to look forward to in the near future. Šibenik have also had a fantastic season so far, but will need to find a replacement for Zec as Jusuf Dajić and Ivan Božić came up slightly short this evening.
ROUND 17 GOALS AND HIGHLIGHTS
NK Rijeka [3 – 3] Varteks Varaždin
Rijeka drop down to ninth place after throwing away the lead on two separate occasions in their draw with Varteks. The game started well for Nenad Gracan’s men as Montenegrin international striker Radomir Dalović scored twice in the first 15 minutes. Robert Puncec reduced the deficit for Varteks before the ageless Miljenko Mumlek struck home from distance. Ramon Fernandez, however, found Sandi Križman to edge Rijeka back in front before half time. Dalović spurned an opportunity for a hat trick taking on a one on one situation, before Dino Skvorc pounced on 83 minutes to snatch an equalizer for Varteks. Rijeka look certain to enter the transfer market in January. However, Varteks have no such opportunities as they have struggled to pay their players in recent weeks. The situation is expected to be resolved in the coming months.
Lokomotiva [2 – 1] NK Istra 1961
Lokomotiva continue to be in a healthy state in HNL1 after their latest win, coming over relegation candidates Istra. It was however Istra who took the lead on seven minutes when Goran Roće netted the opener. Lokomotiva were back level within minutes however through Tomislav Puljić. They then took on the lead just before half time thanks to an Ivan Peko strike which proved to be the match winner. Lokomotiva move above Rijeka into eighth place. Istra’s situation appears more desperate with several players set to leave in the winter including Tonci Kukoč. Khallilou Traore also looks on his way out of Croatia as he is attracting clubs in Belgium and Russia. Istra are now second from bottom following Zagreb’s win on Friday.
Croatia Sesvete [0 – 3] Karlovac
Karlovac made light work in defeating HNL1’s canon fodder Croatia Sesvete to further improve their status in the division. The win keeps them ahead of Hajduk Split and rounds out an outstanding first half of the season as they start their winter break. Karlovac made a great start to the match as Josip Jerneić found the net inside two minutes. Jurica Karabatić extended the lead on 28 minutes, before Zvonko Pamić scored their third from the penalty spot. Karlovac move into fourth place, just one point above Hajduk Split.
Slaven Belupo [1 – 1] Cibalia Vinkovci
Slaven Belupo won a good point which keeps them ahead of Hajduk Split after drawing with Cibalia. Zlatko Dalić’s men took the lead just before half time through Hungarian defender Csaba Csizmadia heading in from a free kick. Cibalia got back into the game not long into the second half when defender Petar Tomić met a Tomislav Pavlivić cross. Despite chances for Bojan Vručina and Ivica Baraban, the match stayed 1-1 for the remainder of the match. The point secured a top three position for Cibalia going into the winter break. Belupo may be active in the transfer window depending on their striker Vručina, who with only five goals in 17 appearences this season, appears to have dropped in value.
Inter Zaprešić [1 – 3] NK Zagreb
After weeks of struggling to close the gap on the teams above them in the relegation zone, Zagreb finally made headway after their 3-1 victory against Zaprešić. Igor Štimac’s men are now just three points off fourth from bottom Međimurje and four points from fifth from bottom NK Zadar. The contribution of Davor Vugrinec has been little short of remarkable in recent weeks as he was once again on target with his eighth goal in his last eight matches tallying a total of 10 for the season thus far. Vugrinec’s form has also woken up partner Ivan Kristanović who netted his fourth in six games on 36 minutes. Zaprešić’s Brazilian striker Dodo pulled one back just before half time. However, Vugrinec was once again there to seal the game with the match winner in the last 10 minutes of the match. In the week, Zagreb announced the identities of the two North Korean youngsters brought to the club. An Il Bom is captain of his nation’s U-17 side, whilst Jong Il Ju also arrives.
Next Matches: Round 18
Saturday, February 20th, 2010
The HNL season will resume in late February after a lengthy winter break.
Thanks Michael for the slip up.
Actually, Dinamo are 6 points ahead of Cibalia and Sibenik 🙂
http://sportnet.hr/Tablica.aspx?ID=421
Good report, missed the action this week.
*chuckles*
oh,my bad, sorry
someguy,
You're my new favorite person on CSR. Straight and to the point!
Check out the date on that article, it's a year old.
http://redbulls.com/soccer/salzburg/en/rbsb-news-detail_1710.html
Niko Kovac came out of retirement