Dinamo vs Lokomotiva (0-3)
Dinamo looked to start their new year fresh after a rocky start to the 23/24 season with a match that almost everyone considered an easy win. Lokomotiva took the first points of 2024 thanks to a 3-0 upset victory over Dinamo Tuesday night at Maksimir. Tuesday’s loss snapped Dinamo’s run of form coming into the new year, ending a 7-game streak without a loss; which last came in early November to Viktoria Plzen during Conference League. Lokomotiva’s Duje Čop, a 33-year old veteran striker with 14 caps for the Vatreni, was the hero of the match. Čop earned himself a hat trick on Tuesday for the first time since 2014, when he did it against Zadar wearing a Dinamo Zagreb shirt. Lokomotiva scored early getting two of their goals in the first seven minutes of the game. Despite playing well from then on, Dinamo could not get their game to click, limiting themselves to only four shots on target the entire match. While Lokomotiva come out of the rescheduled match with a much needed three points, Dinamo can see their charge back to the top knocked back a peg after a disastrous start to HNL play in 2024.
Rijeka vs Gorica (3-2)
Rijeka earned a statement win and three points Wednesday night in Velika Gorica after turning around an early 2-0 deficit into a massive victory to kick off 2024. Rijeka found themselves in a similar situation to Dinamo after finding themselves down 2-0 early in the match. However, Rijeka showed the signs of a true contending team by digging in and rallying to a 3-2 victory in one of the hardest places to play on the road this season, Velika Gorica. Their massive win allowed them to give Gorica their second home defeat thus far this season. Gorica’s ability to draw games out and defend well was tossed to shreds by Rijeka’s attack in the second half, lead by Marko Pjaca. Pjaca has been able to turn up for the big matches, netting two goals in Rijeka’s victory over rivals Osijek and now netting two goals in Wednesday’s win over Gorica. Rijeka now sit even with Hajduk on games played and are only three points off first place and well within striking distance of 1st place. With fellow competitor Dinamo losing on Tuesday, Rijeka very well could be the best team suited to challenging Hajduk for the title. As for Gorica, what started off as a chance to repeat Lokomotiva’s upset victory against a top-4 side, quickly slipped away for the Goričani. Not only did the win slip from Gorica’s fingers, but their chance to close the gap between Osijek and the ever so important 4th place spot that could see Gorica play in Europe.
Big win incoming for Rijeka at Poljud this weekend. Book it.
I think that Hajduk will win, or at least I’m hoping as a fan. Rijeka had a tough match on Wednesday against Gorica on a snow-covered playing field so two matches in 4 days might be a bit too much for them at the restart of the comp.
We will see. It is hard to prognosticate on any given soccer match, where victory is determined by the rare event of an actual soccer ball getting into the opponent’s goal.
If you ask me, that should increase the size of the goal by 35%, to make the games more predictable, and results less to chance. With that said, the sports is as much about strategy to neutralize superiority, as it about pure superiority on paper.
How many people saw Croatia in the final 4 of the word cup two tournaments in a row.
With that said my heart is with the guerilla warriors Hajduk.
Hajduk warfare is what is required when you are out gunned, no one believes in you, but yourself, and everyone hopes for demise. Long Live Hajduk!
Warriors? Hajduk? Oprostite?!
Dinamo play Istra, Gorica and Lokomotiva next. Surely if they drop points in one of those games their season is over
The match in Velika Gorica should have never been played due to snow on the pitch. Rijeka in fact did not want the match to proceed, however the match official’s ruled that the pitch was playable. On a bad pitch it really came down to luck and Gorica took a 2 – 0 lead early on, only for Rijeka to be awarded two penalties. Pjaca scored from the first one, his second penalty was saved however the rebound luckily came back to him and he slotted it in. Late on Rijeka got the winner following a corner.
On chances created a draw would have been a fair result. Both Pasalic and Ivanovic were subbed before HT with Rijeka coach Sopic saying that he did it because of the poor pitch.
Big match this weekend with Hajduk taking on Rijeka in Split.