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
HNL
HNL Week 34
By 30 Comments
Hajduk Split made a huge bid for second place Sunday evening with a 3-2 victory over Dinamo Zagreb who were playing their first match under the new leadership of Zdravko Mamić. Emotions were up and down for the Bili, who found themselves trailing 1-0 early in the match after Luka Ivanušec found the back of the net in the 13th minute. The chance was given … [Read more...] about HNL Week 34
Zoran Mamić Returns As Dinamo Coach
By 90 Comments
Zoran Mamić is beginning his third stint as manager for Dinamo Zagreb after the departure of Igor Jovicević on Monday. The club did not specifically state if Mamić will be on board for a permanent stay, but is confirmed to be in charge of the team for the remaining three matches. In a statement, the club said, "GNK Dinamo hereby informs the public that in … [Read more...] about Zoran Mamić Returns As Dinamo Coach
HNL Week 33: What Is Even Going On?
By 23 Comments
The HNL is not known for its officiating, or for its budget-blasting spending, nor its modern stadiums nor even really its top play on the pitch, but this is just getting ridiculous. As previously asked last week on this site https://croatiansports.com/?p=37075 it appears teams are trying to avoid clinching the newly-awarded second Champions League … [Read more...] about HNL Week 33: What Is Even Going On?
Why Does No Club Want The Second Croatian Champions League Spot?
By 14 Comments
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?
HNL Week 30: DINAMO ARE CHAMPIONS
By 50 Comments
Dinamo Zagreb have secured another Prva Liga title this weekend, despite playing to a 0-0 draw against HNK Gorica on Saturday. A win would have secured the trophy, but the draw forced the Plavi to wait an extra day while NK Lokomotiva officially secured it for them with a 3-2 victory over Hajduk Split as well as a little help from Slaven Belupo who defeated Rijkea … [Read more...] about HNL Week 30: DINAMO ARE CHAMPIONS
HNL Week 29: Varaždin, The Giant Killers (UPDATED)
By 77 Comments
NK Varaždin has now recorded four victories in 29 matches this season; two of those victories have been against Dinamo Zagreb and now Hajduk Split. Not to mention, stealing a point from HNK Rijeka only last week. Week 29 kicked off on a Tuesday this week, with the first match featuring a rare win for NK Istra 1961. Istra defeated NK Inter Zaprešić 2-0 on Tuesday … [Read more...] about HNL Week 29: Varaždin, The Giant Killers (UPDATED)
HNL Week 28
By 20 Comments
This week's match week kicked off on Thursday with Inter Zaprešić hosting HNK Gorica, who handed the hosts a 3-0 thumping. Kristijan Lovrić scored the opening goal in the 53rd minute while Ogdjen Mudrinkski scored a double late in the match. It is known that Inter Zaprešić, through already struggling to fend off relegation late in the season, failed to obtain a … [Read more...] about HNL Week 28
HNL Matchweek 27
By 58 Comments
Has anyone ever been so happy to see the return of the Prva Liga? After a miserably wet and quarantined weekend, I was on edge waiting for the kickoff between NK Lokomotiva and NK Osijek on Sunday afternoon. Popped a beer and turned on a surprisingly-HD stream of the match at an empty Kranjčevićeva between two sides dukeing it out in hopes of clinching second … [Read more...] about HNL Matchweek 27
