HNL Week 7: Dinamo Lose 1st Match Since November!

Round 7 of the SuperSport HNL was hectic and produced another great weekend (and Monday) of football. Osijek shocked Dinamo in the very first game of the round, Rijeka were unable to beat Lokomotiva, Hajduk kept their top spot, and in the last match we got a thriller between Gorica and Varaždin.

Osijek 4-2 Dinamo: Osijek Stun the Champions to Go Top

Osijek (4-1-4-1): Malenica – Kruiver (subbed on 77. Posavec), Jelenić, I. Ježić, Heister – Vrbančić – Bukvić, J. Ježić (subbed on 62. Barić), Mikolčić (subbed on 62. Petrusenko), Ljatifi (subbed on 77. Bakti) – Leon (subbed on 88. Farkaš)

Dinamo (4-3-3): Kotarski – Valinčić (subbed on 46. Galešić), Domínguez, McKenna, Pérez Vinlöf – Stojković (subbed on 46. Kačavenda), Mišić (subbed on 77. Topić), Zajc – Almena (subbed on 46. Lisica), Prevljak, Hoxha (subbed on 58. Ivanušec)

Dinamo were supposed to start this match with Dion Drena Beljo in attack, but the striker fell ill just moments before and was left on the sidelines. Sadly for the Zagreb side, their star player also won’t be available for their Europa League opener vs. Hapoel Be’er Sheva.

Osijek came into this match as heavy outsiders, having lost two games on the bounce: 1-4 to Rijeka in the HNL, then to second-tier Segesta 1-3 in the Cup. But they responded phenomenally in front of their home crowd, taking the game by the scruff of the neck from the get-go. Ježić forced a block from Vinlöf as early as the 4th minute, and Osijek took the lead in the 12th — Bukvić whipped in a cross from the right, Leon rose above Domínguez, and headed past Kotarski for 1-0.

Leon now reminds everybody of Ramon Mierez, a tall and strong forward who has an unreal work rate. Anyways, Osijek kept coming. Heister and Mikolčić both threatened in the 21st, Kotarski equal to both, and eight minutes later he denied Ljatifi after a terrible (non)reaction by both Domínguez and Valinčić let the Macedonian go through on goal. Dinamo’s defence eventually fell again in the 35th minute as Dinamo lost the ball straight from their own corner; Leon nutmegged his marker at the halfway line to spark the counter, found Ljatifi on the left, and the winger drove into the box and forced a save that Kotarski could only parry back into Leon’s path for a simple finish. 2-0 at the break, and Dinamo looked awful.

Kovačević made three subs at the break to switch things up and try to claw something back. But the efforts of his side were thwarted in the 60th minute when Osijek struck again on the counter. Leon released Vrbančić from inside his own half, and the midfielder drove the length of the pitch as he had nobody on his path, before calmly finishing from the edge of the box to make it 3-0. And to quickly cover Vrbančić’s game, he was EVERYWHERE! Didn’t let anybody from Dinamo’s team breathe for a second, especially Stojković in the first half. Another brilliant game by the ex-Dinamo player at the Opus Arena.

But the guests responded quickly to that third goal; Miha Zajc made it 3-1. Dinamo pushed hard as the game wore on, but they were unable to beat Malenica in goal again. Then it was Malenica himself who gave away the penalty in the 90th, clattering into Galešić. Prevljak’s spot-kick was half-saved but still bundled over the line for 3-2. Dinamo started pushing to get at least a draw and keep their domestic unbeaten streak alive, having last lost to Istra on the 9th of November 2025.

However, any hopes of a full Dinamo comeback died in the final seconds, as a loose touch at the back handed the ball straight to Bukvić, who finished into an empty net from distance to make it 4-2. Kotarski tried to get to the ball before Bukvić and Vinlof, but ended up just tackling his own teammate and gifting the ball for the final goal.

It was a mesmerising match by Osijek, who did almost everything right; Dinamo couldn’t string three passes together in the first half due to their press. And Osijek just had a better work rate; they were first to every loose ball and immediately tried to punish Dinamo whenever they won the ball with a quick transition. While Dinamo’s defence and midfield just couldn’t cope with that speed of play, the defence was disjointed, and the midfield of Stojković, Mišić and Zajc was unable to control the ball for more than a few seconds.

Massive plaudits must go to Federico Bessone, who turned the squad’s mentality completely around in just a few days after suffering two very tough losses. On the other hand, Mario Kovačević had no answer to Bessone and his tactics. But a domestic loss had to come at some point for his side; a streak of 33 games without a single loss is an amazing feat. But the Dinamo manager must find a way to win later today vs. Hapoel Be’er Sheva without his star player, as his job could then be in jeopardy for the Lokomotiva game on the weekend.

Lokomotiva 1-1 Rijeka: Wasteful Rijeka Made to Pay

Lokomotiva (4-3-3): Posavec – Karačić, Triantafyllou (subbed on 62. Gurlica), Čabraja, Čabrajić – Fetai, Katić (subbed on 62. Kulušić), Belcar – Vešović, Đurković (subbed on 62. Subotić), Vuković

Rijeka (4-2-3-1): Vekić – Oreč, Majstorović, Husić, Lasickas – Pavić, Ćubelić (subbed on 76. Mohebi) – Vignato, Dantas, Fruk – Adu-Adjei (subbed on 76. Jurić)

After the fireworks at Opus Arena, this one was a much quieter affair in front of just 500 spectators at the Maksimir. Rijeka were the better side in a first half that offered little — Fruk tested Posavec in the 3rd, Adu-Adjei in the 5th, and Majstorović went somewhat close twice with headers from set pieces, with Oreč also heading over after a good ball from Pavić. Lokomotiva’s only effort of note was Karačić from a generously awarded free kick. Goalless and forgettable at the break.

The second half started with far more purpose and excitement. Rijeka broke the deadlock in the 52nd when Lasickas surged down the left, cut inside, and slalomed his way to the edge of the box before squaring for Dantas, who took a touch, picked his spot and finished. But Rijeka’s lead lasted just 13 minutes. Vešović first drove an effort into a block from a left-wing cross, and when the loose ball fell straight back to him, he made no mistake with the second attempt, finding the corner past a helpless Vekić.

Rijeka had the chance to retake the lead in the 71st when Fruk found himself in a great position, but he had an off night — his effort flew well over rather than testing the frame of the goal. Nothing of note followed in the closing 15 minutes.

Rijeka will certainly feel that they could’ve got more out of this game, as they had more chances, which were really half-chances, especially in the first half. Lokomotiva were once again unconvincing but took their chance and relied on Posavec yet again to bail them out; the ‘Lokosi’ keeper had 4 saves but prevented an xG of 1.39.

Istra 3-2 Rudeš: Frederiksen Hat-Trick Survives Late Scare

Istra 1961 (4-2-3-1): Kolić – Hrvatin (subbed on 82. Kadušić), Kumar, Miettinen, Šepić – Doumbia, Maurić – Frederiksen (subbed on 82. Kablar), Ahmeti, Škafar Žužić (subbed on 65. Rozić, injured off 73. for Ukich) – Jaganjac (subbed on 65. Isaac)

Rudeš (4-2-3-1): Rogić – Taraba, Stolnik (subbed on 77. Celjak), Zebić, Unušić – Đorić, Skoko (subbed on 46. Diabate) – Kolega (subbed on 46. Ilečić), Xavi (subbed on 67. Poldrugač), Haddad (subbed on 67. Seitz) – Saho

Istra were the better side from the first whistle, and it showed on the scoreboard inside 11 minutes. Škafar Žužić did what Škafar Žužić does down the left, leaving the Rudeš defence in knots before Kolega took him down. Penalty for the hosts. Emil Frederiksen easily dispatched the penalty as Rogić barely moved. The Dane doubled the lead 17 minutes later with an even better goal, latching onto another Škafar Žužić assist and curling a finish from the edge of the box into the far corner. Quiet from there until the break.

Frederiksen completed the hat-trick in the 58th, again through a defensive mix-up — Dinamo loanee Zebić cleared poorly and misjudged the flight of the returning pass, and Ahmeti pounced to slip Frederiksen through, who finished coolly with the outside of his boot. It looked like game over, and Istra kept pushing; Škafar Žužić crashed a shot off the bar in the 65th.

With 10 minutes to go, Istra were already thinking about the beach and forgot the game was still going. Rudeš, on the other hand, finally remembered how to play football. Doumbia gave the ball away, and Saho punished it with a first-time half-volley from 20 metres to make it 3-1. Panic set in three minutes later when Ilečić raced clear and beat Kolić for 3-2, and suddenly a comfortable evening turned nervy. Rudeš threw everyone forward in the closing minutes, but were unable to threaten the home side again, and their last-ditch efforts were for nothing.

It was a deserved win for Istra in the end, even if they nearly gave it all away. Rudeš were nowhere for 80 minutes, and the result correctly shows that. Rudeš stay on three points, with their only consolation being that Gorica are still behind them somehow.

Hajduk 1-0 Slaven Belupo: ‘Bili’ Remain on Top

Hajduk (4-2-3-1): Silić – Acapandie, Marešić, Raci, Hrgović – Del Moral (subbed on 62. Fayad), Pajaziti – Bamba (subbed on 72. Huram), Dalisson, Šotiček (subbed on 62. Martín) – Šego (subbed on 80. Livaja)

Slaven Belupo (4-2-3-1): Sentić – Grgić, Božić, Kovačić, Išasegi (subbed on 46. Jakir) – Bošnjak (subbed on 46. Bosak), Adeshina (subbed on 90+1. Mersinaj) – Dabro, Mažar, Mitrović – Nestorovski (subbed on 81. Ratshkudu)

The game started brightly for the hosts; Bamba’s cross in the 6th minute nearly found Šego and Hrgović, though the ball ran through just before either could connect. Slaven had their moments too: Mitrović forced a block from Silić after some neat play, and Šotiček thought he’d set up Šego for the opener right after, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.

The breakthrough came in the 22nd minute. Bamba again did the damage down the right, and Dalisson rose to head home from seven metres — his first HNL goal, and his first with his head in a Hajduk shirt, adding to three goals already this summer in Europe. Sentić kept Slaven in it with a sharp save to deny Bamba shortly after, and the visitors weren’t rattled either, Šotiček seeing an effort deflect just wide before the break.

Čabraja made a double change at the break, but neither side created much early in the second half. Hajduk were in control without much luck in finding a second goal, while Slaven lacked the quality to seriously threaten. Garcia brought on Fayad and Martín in the 62nd, and Martín almost had an immediate impact, but he side-footed his effort way over the goal from six metres after a Dalisson cutback.

The game turned in the 79th when Filip Mažar picked up a second yellow for a rash challenge on Fayad, reducing Slaven to ten. Garcia responded by taking off Šego for Livaja, but Hajduk spent the closing stages simply trying to see it out rather than kill the game off, and got away with it. It was a nervy end as Slaven had some good looks to create something right at the death, but lacked the quality to do so.

Harder work than expected, but Hajduk got the job done in the end — a 1-0 win that sends them back to the top of the table, three clear of Dinamo after the champions’ shock loss at Osijek the day before. That result did change the look of this game, as it suddenly carried the weight of 1st place and, more importantly, of getting a gap to Dinamo. This is Hajduk’s 5th straight league win, a great run after being unable to win one of their opening two league matches.

Slaven were okay, not much in their performance except that Mitrović chance early in the 1st half and the last-minute attempts with 10 men. But I want to take a quick moment to say that I had the pleasure of being live at Poljud and watching the game from the press box of the stadium for the first time ever, as you may have noticed with the live reports and on social media. It was an amazing experience and only the start, and once again, thanks to Ante and the whole CroatianSports family.

Gorica 2-2 Varaždin: Cvijanović’s Last-Gasp Strike Denies Šafarić

Gorica (3-4-2-1): Josipović – Perić, Filipović, Stevanović – Čustović (subbed on 46. Braut), Frigan, Lacoux (subbed on 57. Bakić), Costa (subbed on 62. Cvijanović) – Pavičić (subbed on 81. Vrzić), Bogojević – Mijić (subbed on 57. Brodić)

Varaždin (4-2-3-1): Silić – Maglica, Mladenovski, Tepšić, Sikošek – Canjuga (subbed on 63. Duvnjak), Marina – Latković (subbed on 85. Posavec), Mamić (subbed on 89. Škaričić), Tavares (subbed on 63. Uchegbu) – Jurić (subbed on 63. Akrap)

Round 7 of the HNL wrapped up on Monday night at Velika Gorica. Varaždin threatened first, Stipe Jurić failing to hit the target from a good position just five minutes into the match, and Sikošek following up with a volley from 20 metres that flew wide in the 9th minute. The visitors’ second-best chance of the half came in the 13th as Maglica’s cross found Jurić free at the back post, but his header from five metres missed the target. Gorica responded through Mijić three minutes later, his effort on the break flashing just past the far post.

Latković had the best chance of the half in the 19th minute, but Josipović brilliantly stopped his attempt from 12 metres out. Lacoux forced another save out of Silić in the 26th, and Gorica took over more of the ball from there. Canjuga’s fierce strike just minutes before half-time looked destined for the top corner before flying just wide. Goalless at the break.

The opener finally came in the 53rd, and it was a beauty. Bruno Bogojević took down a long ball, drove towards the middle, and curled a right-footed finish from 20 metres into the far corner. It was Gorica’s third goal of the season, and Bogojević’s third personally. Varaždin needed just four minutes to respond, with Jurić laying the ball back for Mamić, who SMASHED it first-time into the top corner, unstoppable, 1-1. Seriously, take a look at this goal; it is magnificent.

Varaždin took control from there, pushing for a winner as Gorica were forced back. Mamić tried again from range in the 63rd minute, but with nowhere near the same venom. Eventually, Varaždin broke through. Uchegbu was all alone with Josipović, but the keeper won that affair. But his save fell right to debutant Valentin Akrap, who pounced to give his new team the lead and seemingly the victory.

Three minutes of added time were originally given, but with VAR checks and other stoppages, the game ran into a fifth added minute; Ivan Cvijanović struck with the very last kick of the game, converting from a goalmouth scramble to snatch a 2-2 draw.

It was a cinematic second half that had absolutely everything, and in the end Gorica got a point that feels like a win. Carević’s side fought tooth and nail and got what they wanted: a result against a very good side. Mario Carević has bought himself a bit of credit with this result, but the next two games will be very crucial as he prepares to face Istra before the break and Rudeš right after, in a big game that could decide if he stays or leaves.

Varaždin and Nikola Šafarić feel hard done by; the manager certainly didn’t mince his words in the press conference after the match, as he clearly pointed out that they conceded a minute and a half after the extended three minutes. But it was the correct call as the ball was barely in play during the final few minutes.