It was a wild finish to the Croatian Prva Liga season as Lokomotiva and Osijek locked horns on the final day to determine who would go to Champions League qualifying. Osijek needed an outright win to finish second but an 88th minute Danijel Lončar own goal would send Lokomotiva (basically Dinamo Zagreb's 2nd team) to a 2-1 victory. That goal would have put Rijeka through, but … [Read more...] about Lokomotiva Grab 2nd Place, CL Berth With 2 Minutes Left In Season
Hajduk
Why Does No Club Want The Second Croatian Champions League Spot?
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For the first time, I think ever, the 1. HNL has two Champions League places up for grabs. Whoever gets these places will still have to go through the qualifying stages to get into the group stage for the 2020-21 European season, but even so, it is a great opportunity for Croatian soccer as a whole. Dinamo Zagreb already has the first spot locked up after recently being crowned … [Read more...] about Why Does No Club Want The Second Croatian Champions League Spot?
Failed Wonderkids: Why Did They Fail?
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How often are young players labeled ‘wonderkids’ after showing the slightest bit potential? Way too often. And how often do those players live up to their lofty potentials? Much less often. It is an unfortunate thing to be labeled a failed wonderkid, but at the end of the day, it is just part of the game. Why do these players end up failing to live up to the hype? There are … [Read more...] about Failed Wonderkids: Why Did They Fail?
HNL Week 15
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Consistency seems to be a key factor in winning championships. It's Dinamo Zagreb who has been the most reliable team to do so in recent history, but it's smaller clubs such as Gorica and Osijek who sometimes struggle to maintain successful runs. HNK Gorica have been the most-successful newly-promoted team in the past 10 years, finishing in fifth place - three points … [Read more...] about HNL Week 15
HNL Week 14
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Only three days after falling out of the Croatian Cup at the hands of HNK Gorica, Hajduk was handed an opportunity for revenge, but the Bili fell flat. Grocia's Kristijan Lovrić opened the scoring in the 11th minute on Saturday. Lovrić has been a thorn in Hajduk's side as he also opened the scoring in the previous match three days earlier. And just like three days … [Read more...] about HNL Week 14
HNL Week 13: Circus at Poljud
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The circus made a stop in Split Sunday while Hajduk hosted Slaven Belupo. A series of odd events led to a 2-0 Hajduk victory, leaving the final score as a secondary talking point. Slaven had some complaints after no call was made when Hajduk goalkeeper smothered the ball at least a yard outside of the penalty area. But this was only the build up … [Read more...] about HNL Week 13: Circus at Poljud
HNL Week 10: Dinamo, Rijeka Closing the Gap
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Hajduk Split still maintain sole possession of the top of the table, but the Bili fumbled a few points on Sunday during a tough trip to Pula. Aldo Drosina hosted the match between Pula and Hajduk, which finished 1-1 after a lackluster performance by both sides. Hajduk opened the scoring with Mijo Caktaš scoring his fourth goal of the season. But Istra's Stefan Lončar … [Read more...] about HNL Week 10: Dinamo, Rijeka Closing the Gap
HNL Week 9: Hajduk Continues to Reign
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Hajduk Split was able to increase its lead at the top of the table yesterday with a 3-1 win over Inter Zaprešić. The win came on the heels of a Dinamo Zagreb blunder at Varaždin earlier in the weekend. Split welcomed Inter to Poljud leading the league while Inter was looking for its second win the season. Zaprešić fought off several scoring attempts by the … [Read more...] about HNL Week 9: Hajduk Continues to Reign
HNL Week 8: Hajduk Remain on Top
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Hajduk remain on top of the table, despite a disappointing 1-1 draw against Rijeka on Sunday. With a game in hand over Dinamo Zagreb, Hajduk had the opportunity to go three points clear, but instead rest in first place only on goal differential. Rijeka, too, should be disappointing with splitting the points. NK Osijek remains ahead of Rijeka, but also drew … [Read more...] about HNL Week 8: Hajduk Remain on Top
