Dinamo Zagreb have secured their ninth double in the 1.HNL after defeating NK Slaven Belupo on Tuesday evening at Osijek’s Gradski Vrt.
The Modri fought through the bogging rain and scored first on a penalty kick in the 31st minute when Marko Pjaca scored from the spot to open the scoring.
Goalkeeper Matjaž Rozman made the correct guess but failed to extend his hands to make the save, and was beat with the hard-hit shot.
Slaven took the Croatian-soccer world by surprised and answered back with a goal in the 62nd minute when Muzafer Ejupi struck a one-timed shot past Antonio Ježina.
The rain didn’t let up and neither did the action.
Dinamo regained the lead late in the game when Marko Rog struck from distance in the 77th minute.
Rozman misjudged the long-range shot and eased up to allow it to pass, but it passed right into the goal for the game-winner. Rozman’s crucial mistake could have been blamed on the inclement weather, but the goalkeeper went to his knees instead of diving out for the shot and gave up the 1-1 score line.
Dinamo was able to hold off The Pharmacists, who surprised fans around Croatia by even making the finals after their shocking 3-0 win over Rijeka to advance.
The final whistle blew with the score 2-1, and allowed Dinamo to lift 14th Croatian Cup to go with their 11th consecutive league title.
Slaven coach Željko Kopić insisted that his players played a great match, as well as a great tournament throughout the season.
With Dinamo’s victory and Slaven’s defeat also comes great fortune for NK Lokomotiva.
Lokomotiva secured fourth place over the weekend with a win over NK Zagreb and while RNK Split drew NK Istra 1961. Since there is an open Europa League spot after Dinamo also won the cup, Lokomotiva will fill the empty void as the European honor is bestowed to the fourth-placed team in the league.
This will be Lokomotiva’s second consecutive appearance in the Europa League, both years reaching the tournament while finishing in the 1.HNL in fourth place.
So, what happens if we see a shit show in France?
Should we again consider the short-term pain for long-term gain strategy?
Maminjo an early goal against turkey is key! Settle the nerves and we should be okay.
Bobby V I agree brother! We need a leader on the pitch! I hope Srna can motivate our guys…
Low expectations usually yield good results.
These guys will probably go into the tournament with zero pressure. I actually wouldn’t be surprised if we beat Spain. However that first Turkey game will be tight and messy.
@Bobby V
bang on , you are correct, at the end of the day it come down to these players
I think Croatians are too obsessed over who our coach is. It is a short tournament very little preparation time.
In the end, it is on the players and their motivation. Cacic’s main job is to pick the lineup – and it is the same one, minus one or two players, that you or I would choose.
@Lika joey,
people in general are negative over in Cro but to be fair to them they have every right to think that way. Going back six years we go out in the first round of every euro and WC and 2010 we don’t even qualify for WC. This team however I think can do some damage. will see soon enough
I heard from my cousin in zagreb that they are not excited about euro. She told me Cacic was a tv and radio repair man before he switched over to coaching lol. She says most people are expecting a failure. That hurts! Lol
@Bobby V……true
i guess(knock on wood) we are lucky to be healthy. how bout just a knock for srna to not be able to start a game or two just to show that we don’t need him
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3580734/Vincent-Kompany-ruled-Euro-2016-makes-injured-XI.html
List of injured players not coming to Euro 2016
Seattle is the exception, averaging 44,000 fans per game. Hard to explain that figure without having the older European/South American/African stars on their roster – great story.
Orlando and NYC are next at 32,000 and 29,000 fans. These two clubs had two things going for them – the fact hat they were both new teams and have Kaka, Villa, Lampard and Pirlo playing for them.
If you took away those stars and went into a second season one year removed from all the hoopla, I doubt they would average half of that. Adding to that is neither team made the playoffs
The rest of the teams are averaging about 20,000 or less.
I remember the Cosmos playing at home in front of 77,000 fans and, when they hit the road, would automatically draw 10 times the people those cities normally drew – just for that one game.
They proved what ultimately bring fans here in America to soccer – and it is not to watch guys that were good here in college.
The league isn’t structured for that type of club to happen again. That is probably their problem, but, they have no choice but to have their current restrictive system.
The real hardcore fans that the MLS craves to win over? It is us – the people who know and follow international soccer.
The only chance they have of us coming out is to bring in aging stars.
All you have to do is look at the attendance of the Challenge Cup each summer with the top teams around the World – and that’s in meaningless games with clubs playing without their top few players.
I’m sure Copa America will draw some great numbers too.
Zrinjski Zrinjski sve do groba mi smo Ultrasi
@Bobby V………….wrong……explain attendance in Vancouver, Seattle, Kansas City, Portland among other cities. Yes, they are bringing in some washed up guys, but for the most part none of those guys are driving up attendance. Orlando City would still be drawing people with or without Kaka, who has played pretty well
http://www.24sata.hr/sport/ludnica-u-mostaru-zrinjski-je-proslavio-4-naslov-prvaka-bih-473263
On a greater Croatian achievement Zrinjski Mostar are champions of BiH!!!!!
@Bobby V
Actually I would say those old Euro/South American superstars are to entice the casual fans.
I always chuckle when “fans” think these guys are going to be great in MLS.
It’s a league with terrible skill but great athletes.
You better be in the mood to hustle and fight for tons of loose balls because most teams can’t string together 5 passes without a sloppy touch.
Throw in the schedule and travel and it’s no wonder guys like Pirlo look ordinary when they’re not playing beside players of similar skill.
I still love watching my Whitecaps though.
What else am I supposed to watch in the summer, baseball?!
The HNL scoring chart won’t be topped by a young Croat so long as they keep leaving before they turn 18, or sold shortly after.
In the past couple of years alone, the HNL has lost tons of young offensive talent. Players like Halilovic, Balic, Muric, Brodic, Pasalic, and Perica are some who left as teenagers…and we’re soon going to see Brekalo, Coric, Vlasic, Rog, and Pjaca gone probably by the end of the summer as well (and these are players just off the top of my head too).
It’s not a big deal anyway. So long as they develop on their foreign clubs for our national team, it’s all that matters.
I have to laugh when I read that American soccer players get paid for marketing products.
What fucking kid would buy something because Landon Donovan endorses it? ….or wear his jersey?
Who answers what his favorite soccer team is or who his favorite player is with an American team or player?
American companies throwing their money away on these guys.
MLS going back to the old strategy of bringing in almost retired European and South American stars because they know it is the immigrants and maybe first generation people who need to consistently come out for the league to survive.
They tried moving away from that but saw their fan base shrink. That’s the reason they have now begun to turn things around – the only reason.
Bilic would never take the job now with Suker and Mamic running the show.
Zuti still under contract, but contract can be broken and bought out. Zuti is another guy who has issues with Mamic and Suker. They would have to pay him much more and he would have to have complete freedom; something Kum Kovac, Strucnjak Stimac and Druga Liga Cacic do or did not have.
Is Zuti still under contract? He is our only real coaching option.
Ziva Bilic would take a pat cut for a tournament for croatia. My teta has a vacation home in split bilic lives across from her. Great humble guy!
Someone musta forgot to turn on the Dinamo Striker factory!! ‘Cause it’s about time we got it up and running, so far it’s been midfielders galore!
well done Dinamo, bravo
And, none of the top FOUR are from Dinamo. Top scorers came from Inter, Slaven, Rijeka, Lokomotiva.
Another interesting to note.
In terms of the leading scorers for the Mickey Mouse HNL, looks like the top 3 scorers will be 2 Macedonians and a Slovene.
So not only is the league a joke. We can produce solid midfielders via the Dinamo factory, but no strikers now????
Niti se Dinamovci ne vesele a kako cu ja…………….
Don’t make it sound like Bilic would still be the coach……No way the savez could afford him now.
Anyone see Bilic take down Man U in a “movie” like ending to the old stadium? So sad he is not our coach, loved how he let the players take risks when we were down. He would do so much better w the current lineup. But Cacic will have to do.
Mission accomplished: This league sucks balls and I’m probably one of the few diaspora on this site that torture myself and watch this farce of a league on a regular basis.
Yep, mission accomplished.