Results for Nov. 22-24, 2013
NK ISTRA 1961 – GNK DINAMO ZAGREB
POSTPONED
The captains of Dinamo and Istra met with head referee for a short time prior to the match in Pula on Saturday afternoon and unanimously decided that the field was in no condition to be used.
Heavy rains soaked the field and left it in a muddy mess that deterred the players from playing and forced the teams to go home without facing each other. The match will be rescheduled at a later date.
HNK HAJDUK SPLIT 1 – 1 NK OSIJEK
Hajduk has struggled against Osijek in the recent past, only coming out victorious on one occasion in their last six meetings.
Things were no different at Poljud as the famous Osijek defense seemed to finally be returning and held the mighty offense of Hajduk to only one goal.
Hajduk started the match with an intense flurry of offense that made it look as if they were destined to win.
Their scoring opportunities quickly paid off when Avdija Vršajević received the ball right in front of Osijek goalkeeper, Zvonimir Mikulić.
Vršajević easily beat Mikulić and made it 1-0 in the 23rd minute.
But Osijek didn’t back down and were able to knot the score up only a few minutes later with a goal from Josip Barišić.
Hajduk was pressing for another goal when they turned the ball over in the Osijek penalty box. Osijek quickly turned a counter attack that included Barišić who was left unmarked near the top of the penalty box and struck it in the goal.
Hajduk goalkeeper, Lovre Kalinić, was leaning the opposite direction and just could not recover to stop the slow rolling ball as it crossed the goal line.
The Bili tried nearly everything to find the go-ahead goal, but fell short with every opportunity that was given to them.
Jean Evrard Kouassi came close to finding the back of the net twice, but twice missed the target from close range.
He faced another chance to close the match near the 80th minute, but Mikulić got the best of him and shut the door, keeping the match tied.
Osijek deservedly won a point in the match, and continue to be a thorn in Hajduk’s side.
Hajduk are currently in second place, while Osijek are two points clear of last place.
NK LOKOMOTIVA – HNK RIJEKA
POSTPONED
Much like the Istra-Dinamo match on Saturday, the match at Maksimir between Lokomotiva and Rijkea was postponed due to treacherous conditions on the lawn of Maksimir. The match will be rescheduled at a later date.
NK HRVATSKI DRAGOVOLJAC 2 – 2 RNK SPLIT
The Volunteers played Split in an exciting match on the rarely-seen NŠC Stjepan Spajić Stadium in Zagreb.
Despite a rough start for the home side and Davor Špehar, Špehar became the hero for his club and his fans.
Split struck the score sheet first, but it was due to a clumsy play by Špehar. Henri Belle sent in a cross from the right side, and in an attempt to defend his goal, Špehar turned the cross into his own net, scoring for the other team.
But this did not dampen his will for victory.
Špehar tried to redeem himself in the 52nd minute when he put a hard shot on target from outside the penalty area, but Split goalkeeper, Danijel Zagorac made a spectacular save, but gave up a rebound that the young Jan Doležal tapped in with his head for the tying goal.
Ante Erceg regained the lead for Split in the 74th minute when he received a cross and took a shot from just above the penalty spot.
Volunteer goalkeeper Ivan Cović was unable to handle the shot, possibly due to playing in a mud puddle in front of the goal, and the ball skidded into the net.
But once again, the Volunteers came back from behind to tie the match.
Špehar received a lofted cross from Grgo Živković and put in a volley that would make any Premier League player in England blush.
Špehar’s perfectly timed the volley and beat the keeper in the 82nd minute to tie the match at two goals a piece.
The resilient Hrvatski Dragovoljac had to come from behind twice to tie the match, and deservedly won a point.
The Volunteers are currently in last place on the table, but surly a match like this will give them the confidence they need to advance on the table.
NK SLAVEN BELUPO 1 – 1 NK ZADAR
Two late goals marked this stalemate that took place in Koprivnica on Friday. These two teams, both dwell on the lower half of the league table, fought tirelessly for three points, but were forced to split them in the end.
It took 77 minutes, but Želimir Terkeš of Zadar finally got the scoring going late in the game.
But the Pharmacists answered back in the 87th minute when Matej Bagarić tied the match when he tapped in a ball just past the goalposts to steal a point away from Zadar.
Thank U Dr. Colin ! It looks like Nobody Cares about the HNL Anymore ! I guess Politics are more Important than Soccer is on a Soccer Web Site ! I don’t get it ! Well if anyone Cares Hajduk should have Won 5-0 !! But these lame teams always give them Trouble !! Sad , Very Sad !! Bog , Hrvati , USA , Hajduk , i HNS !!!
And despite not playing this week, Dinamo remains in first.
In the league’s defense, the Dragovoljac-Split match was actually pretty good.
Rain delays and draws. very exciting weekend.