HNL Week 10: Hajduk Continues Their Remarkable Week!

The 10th Round of the SuperSport HNL was entertaining once again; no exquisite goals this round, sadly, but goals definitely weren’t lacking, as we had VAR drama and another red card for Rudeš, a late winner at Poljud and a semi-dominant trashing from Dinamo, which we haven’t seen in a while. The weekend opened in Velika Gorica as Rijeka came to face the 9th-placed Rudeš.

Rudeš 1-2 Rijeka: Fruk’s Free-Kick Masterclass Sends Rijeka Up to Third

Rudeš (3-4-2-1): Rogić – Celjak, Bralić, Zebić – Unušić, Skoko, Đorić (subbed on 67. Ilečić), Curcio (subbed on 84. Taraba) – Xavi (subbed on 46. Seitz) – Junior Fernandes (subbed on 84. Poldrugač), Haddad (subbed on 67. Lovrić)

Rijeka (4-2-3-1): Vekić – Oreč, Majstorović, Husić, Devetak – Pavić (subbed on 79. Gojak), Dantas, Fruk (subbed on 89. Janković) – Vignato (subbed on 89. Bodetić), Puljić (subbed on 63. Adu-Adjei), Lasickas (subbed on 63. Ćubelić)

The first chance of the game was also the first goal. Vignato took a short pass from Fruk, drove vertically at the box, got a half-hearted block from Zebić, and the Italian’s effort took a slight deflection past Rogić, his third league goal of the season. Rijeka should have had a second in the 17th minute; Fruk did everything right up to the finish, but his effort from around 14-15 metres rattled the post. He was far from his best otherwise in the first half. Rijeka dominated the opening half hour completely, as Rudeš were struggling to keep the ball.

Rudeš’s first real response came in the 39th, Curcio letting one go from 30 metres that gave the scoreboard operator more of a fright than Vekić. Two minutes later they missed a massive chance; Haddad burned past Oreč and squared for Junior Fernandes, but the 38-year-old blazed over from six or seven metres with the goal gaping. Rijeka nearly made them pay immediately, Vignato dribbling past his marker and picking out Fruk at the back post, but his effort from seven metres was too central, and Rogić saved it with his head. Another poor finishing display from Rijeka’s star man, who’s been struggling to score consistently this season.

The game turned in the 71st minute. Referee Škobić sent off Rudeš captain Vedran Celjak for a shove on Adu-Adjei as Dantas played him through — a VAR review followed, but the decision stood, one that felt harsh at best as Celjak was sent off for a last-man foul although he wasn’t the last man, as can be seen in the picture below.

From the resulting free kick, Toni Fruk made Rudeš pay in spectacular fashion, curling a 25-metre strike directly into the net for 2-0, making up for his earlier misses. Nothing of note happened in the final 15 minutes until stoppage time, when Skoko pulled one back for Rudeš, far too late to matter. The day after the match, the Zagreb side released a statement in French, obviously aimed at the HNS Refereeing Commission President Bertrand Layec. And to be fair to them, they have been on the end of some shocking calls, especially the red card in this game.

Lokomotiva 2-0 Istra 1961: Karačić Shines as Lokosi Finally Win

Lokomotiva (4-2-3-1): Posavec – Karačić, Gurlica (subbed on 77. Čabraja), Triantafyllou, Čabrajić – Fetai, Katić (subbed on 73. Mitrović) – Lorber, Belcar (subbed on 73. Thaqi), Vuković (subbed on 72. Marić) – Kulušić

Istra 1961 (4-2-3-1): Kolić – Hrvatin, Nasraoui, Kumar, Šepić (subbed on 61. Celija) – Albarracin, Hodžić (subbed on 69. Kablar) – Frederiksen, Ahmeti (subbed on 61. Jaganjac), Škafar-Žužić (subbed on 69. Goričan) – Isaac (subbed on 88. Rozić)

A near-empty Maksimir, barely 200 in the stands on a great Zagreb autumn afternoon. The first chance of the game came in the 5th, a lovely Šepić through ball finding Isaac, who chipped Posavec from 13 metres and nearly scored anyway despite the flag already up for offside — the kind of moment that seemed to jolt Lokomotiva into life. They took the lead barely a minute later. Belcar and Vuković combined to tee up Kulušić from four metres, only for Franko Kolić to produce a brilliant reflex save, but the resulting corner proved only a delay — Belcar’s delivery found Karačić completely unmarked at the top of the box, and the Hajduk loanee headed home his 14th goal for the club in 186 appearances.

Šepić had a good chance in the 39th but was cleanly dispossessed, and Vuković fluffed a good opportunity in the 42nd, the last notable moment of a first half that, while not a bad one for Istra, still saw Lokomotiva edge it by exactly the margin of their goal. The second half opened with another goal, just 44 seconds in. Vuković switched play to an unmarked Karačić, whose inviting cross caught Kumar out of position and found Kulušić completely free in the middle to finish. Kulušić had another good look eight minutes later, denied by Kolić one-on-one, though offside would have ruled it out anyway.

Beyond his goal and assist, Karačić also had a strong defensive game against the talented Škafar-Žužić, while Leon Belcar continued to impress — playing with far more attacking freedom than he had at Varaždin. Istra came to life once Hamza Jaganjac came on, testing Posavec almost immediately, but the Lokomotiva captain was excellent all afternoon, also saving a Frederiksen free kick from 22 metres. Jelavić used the closing 20 minutes to introduce Matej Mitrović, a fresh signing and returnee to Croatian football.

Istra couldn’t find a way back into the match, and in the end Lokomotiva’s win was a deserved one, which ended their 7-game winless run. And it’s the first real deserved win of the campaign for Lokomotiva, as their opening two victories vs. Istra and Gorica were tied on the pitch at best. Istra, on the other hand, were disappointing this time around, but it’s to be expected with the youngest squad in the league right now. Will be a very up-and-down season for the ‘Zeleno-Žuti’.

Osijek 1-1 Gorica: VAR Steals the Show in a Wild Draw

Osijek (4-3-3): Malenica – Kruiver (subbed on 76. Posavec), Kolarik, I. Ježić (subbed on 46. Heister), Kalem – Mikolčić (subbed on 29. Dolček), Vrbančić – Bukvić, Tunjić (subbed on 66. Barić), Cantero (subbed on 46. Ljatifi) – Leon

Gorica (4-2-3-1): Josipović – Braut, Filipović, Stevanović, Costa – Lacoux, Frigan (subbed on 68. Bakić) – Bogojević (subbed on 80. Cvijanović), Pavičić (subbed on 85. Čustović), Pranjić (subbed on 68. Perić) – Erceg

Osijek fielded what’s probably the youngest centre-back pairing in club history, Izak Ježić (16) and Ivano Kolarik (19) combining for fewer years between them than Ante Erceg (36), who led the Gorica attack and had the first real chance of the game in the 9th. Gorica started the brighter of the two sides, racking up four corners early on.

The visitors broke through in the 24th. A ball into Ježić’s channel was dispossessed by Gorica’s defence, sparking a quick transition down the right. Domagoj Pavičić found Pranjić with a brilliant backheel, who squeezed a finish between Malenica and the near post. Osijek’s misery deepened further when Mikolčić had to go off injured not long after.

Bessone responded by throwing on Ljatifi and Heister, with Barić following shortly after. Gorica thought they’d put the game to bed through Pavičić, but VAR ruled out the goal for a marginal offside. Osijek found their equaliser in the 68th, Ljatifi setting up Leon to level things at 1-1. Tensions boiled over again when Gorica thought they’d retaken the lead through Bakić, only for VAR to chalk that off too for a marginal offside position — and the frustration proved too much for Mario Carević, sent off from the bench for arguing with the fourth official. Not the first time he’s been sent off for being displeased with a decision.

The closing stages kept the drama coming. Josipović produced a brilliant reaction save to deny Barić and a potential Osijek turnaround, before Cvijanović thought he’d won it for Gorica late on — ruled out, inevitably, for, you guessed it, offside! The third disallowed goal of the afternoon for the visitors, this one being much clearer than the previous two.

A thoroughly entertaining game in the end, even if the scoreline settled for a share of the points, with VAR being the man of the match.

Hajduk 1-0 Varaždin: Acapandie’s Late Header Makes It Three Wins in Eight Days

Hajduk (4-2-3-1): T. Silić – Acapandie, Hadžikadunić, Marešić, Melnjak (subbed on 65. Hrgović) – Del Moral (subbed on 66. Pajaziti), Fayad – Šutalo (subbed on 58. Bamba), Dalisson, Šotiček (subbed on 75. Huram) – Livaja (subbed on 66. Šego)

Varaždin (4-2-3-1): J. Silić – Posinković, Mladenovski, Tepšić, Duraković (subbed on 23. Sikošek) – Canjuga, Duvnjak (subbed on 63. Puclin) – Bočkaj (subbed on 63. Uchegbu), Mamić (subbed on 76. Posavec), Tavares – Latković (subbed on 76. Škaričić)

Captain Marko Livaja returned to Hajduk’s starting XI after three games spent entirely on the bench, alongside Šutalo and Melnjak, with Šego, Bamba and Hrgović all dropping to the bench. Attendance was noticeably light, with the usually packed north end nearly empty. The game still had plenty of early drama. Posinković’s cross in the 7th almost caught out Toni Silić, the rebound falling perfectly for Tavares, who somehow put a close-range header against the post. Hajduk’s own first real chance came in the 13th minute as Šotiček neatly beat his defender with a brilliant turn after letting the ball go past him and his marker. However, the left winger’s shot was less satisfying and off target.

Seven minutes later, Livaja released Šutalo in behind, but the young attacker’s touch let him down, and the ball rolled tamely into Josip Silić’s hands. Duraković went off injured in the 23rd for Sikošek. Chances were sparse for a while after that; Fayad forced a save from the Varaždin keeper in the 35th, and Livaja, who was dropping deep to create chances, sent Dalisson through in the 41st, only for the attacking midfielder to lose control of the ball in the most important moment as he was about to shoot, Varaždin’s defence recovering and dealing with Hajduk’s number 9 with ease. Bočkaj curled a free kick just over the bar in the 44th, and Šotiček nearly did everything himself a minute later, intercepting the ball high up the pitch and shooting narrowly wide from 14 metres.

The second half started slowly for Hajduk, prompting Garcia to make his first change in the 58th, Bamba on for Šutalo. Little changed until Garcia threw on Šego, Pajaziti and Hrgović for Livaja, Del Moral and Melnjak in the 65th and 66th minutes, followed by Huram for Šotiček in the 75th. Šafarić responded by going to five at the back, taking off Latković for a third centre-back in Škaričić, and Varaždin dropped deep to defend the point. Canjuga nearly stole it against the run of play in the 81st, chipping a stranded Toni Silić from his own half, only for the keeper to scramble back and claw it out right before it went in.

Hajduk’s winner came from a set piece. Bamba’s corner from the left found Acapandie, who met it with a diving header past a good Josip Silić for 1-0, and that was all she wrote. It was a hard-fought one for Hajduk, who were made to work for every bit of it — 18 shots to Varaždin’s seven and 64% of the ball tell their own story of a game that needed a late moment of a well-worked set-piece to break down a stubborn Varaždin. The win keeps Hajduk top of the table, a third straight win at Poljud in just eight days, following victories over Dinamo and Ajax. A real statement win for Gonzalo Garcia and his side as they look dominant, which Hajduk haven’t been since… well, Dambrauskas, most likely.

I personally expected more from Varaždin, but they played their standard game, and unlike the last time they faced Hajduk, they didn’t take their chances today. Although it does feel like they definitely could’ve tried going more at the hosts, considering the last two matches were very draining and the pace of the game was never at a high level, playing into Hajduk’s favour.

Slaven Belupo 1-5 Dinamo: Kotarski Saves Dinamo Before They Run Riot

Slaven Belupo (4-4-1-1): Čović – Krušelj, Kovačić, Mersinaj, Urata – Lončar (subbed on 60. Zahora), Adeshina (subbed on 78. Ratshukudu), Mažar (subbed on 40. Bosak), Mitrović (subbed on 78. Crepulja) – Banovec (subbed on 60. Bošnjak) – Nestorovski

Dinamo (4-3-3): Kotarski – Valinčić, Galešić, McKenna, Goda – Stojković (subbed on 60. Kačavenda), Mišić (subbed on 74. Topić), Kravcov (subbed on 60. Zajc) – Rodríguez (subbed on 60. Almena), Beljo (subbed on 64. Prevljak), Oršić

For the first 15 minutes, Slaven Belupo had Dinamo on the ropes. Dinamo arrived looking disjointed, while the hosts came out fired up and attacked with intent. Chances came and went in front of Dinamo’s goal, with half the visiting side mentally checked out of the game. Everyone except Dominik Kotarski, that is. Mitrović’s effort from the left flew just past the post, and soon after a Krušelj cross nearly caught them out, only for Kotarski to parry it straight into the path of a free Mitrović at the back post, denied again. Then another cross from the left found Mersinaj completely unmarked, his header well saved underneath the bar. Kotarski was simply brilliant in those opening exchanges as he kept the game level, and Slaven eventually found out the “If you don’t score, you concede” saying to be true.

Dinamo had Kotarski keeping them in it early, and then Dion Drena Beljo took over. First he controlled a ball with his back to goal superbly, turned and shot just wide, and moments later did the same again, this time passing to Dani Rodríguez on the right instead of shooting. Rodríguez curled a left-footed effort that deceived Čović and found the near corner, his first goal in a competitive match for the club. Beljo found himself clean through on Čović soon after, this time denied, but not for long. Rodríguez was fouled by Mersinaj after skipping past him, and Beljo converted the penalty, which went just under Čović, who almost had it. From there Slaven faded away, and before the break Beljo added his second with a header from a Stojković cross, 0-3 — a world away from how the opening quarter of an hour had looked.

Slaven did pull one back right on the stroke of half-time, who poked home from right on the goal-line. The second half offered far less, Dinamo content to see out the result without taking risks and Slaven unable to muster much of a response as they had seemingly accepted defeat. Still, the second half saw two goals: Miha Zajc made it four with an easy tap-in, and Niko Galešić finished off the scoring with a thumping header.

Man of the match has to be Kotarski, as he completely dictated how this match unfolded in the opening minutes; Beljo was amazing yet again as he doesn’t seem to be slowing down in the goal department. Kovačević can be a happy man as his side has bounced back after the derby loss to Hajduk last week. But now, Dinamo have two big games at home vs. NEC and then Rijeka.

SuperSport HNL standings after the 10th Round: