Round 9 of the SuperSport HNL gave us a waterlogged ending to the Eternal Derby that was closer to water polo than football, a Slaven Belupo demolition of Rijeka and a relegation six-pointer that did exactly what it says on the tin. It was a weekend of big swings and amazing goals. First game takes us to Velika Gorica, where the bottom two met in a match neither could afford to lose…
Gorica 1-2 Rudeš: Skoko And Fernandes Lift Bottom-Table Rivals Off The Floor
Gorica (4-2-3-1): Josipović – Braut, Filipović, Stevanović, Costa (subbed on 65. Cvijanović) – Lacoux (subbed on 65. Pavičić), Frigan (subbed on 81. Kardum) – Pranjić (subbed on 65. Vrzić), Brodić, Bogojević – Mijić (subbed on 46. Erceg)
Rudeš (3-4-2-1): Rogić – Celjak, Zebić, Bralić – Unušić (subbed on 90+3. Taraba), Skoko, Đorić, Curcio – Xavi (subbed on 80. Popović), Poldrugač (subbed on 67. El Haddad) – Junior Fernandes (subbed on 67. Ilečić)
Gorica had most of the ball early on without doing much with it. Bogojević, Pranjić and Brodić all got into decent areas but never truly tested Rogić. The closest they came was in the 25th minute, when Bogojević whipped in a cross, and Brodić met it perfectly with his head, only for Rogić to produce a brilliant reaction save. It was the second time this season a Brodić header has been denied at the last second, after Kotarski did the same back in round 6.
Rudeš made them pay. In the 37th they broke the deadlock with a gorgeous team move: Xavi slipped it to Đorić, who played a quick one-two with Skoko that left Gorica’s defence stranded, and Skoko took a touch before calmly finishing past Josipović for his second of the season. 1-0 at the break. Three minutes into the second half, Rudeš doubled their lead. Đorić headed goalwards from a corner, and what looked like a goal-saving clearance from Bogojević on the line fell straight to veteran Junior Fernandes, who had the simplest of finishes into an empty net for his first goal for the Zagreb club.
Rudeš kept attacking even with the game seemingly won. Poldrugač was denied by a last-ditch sliding block from Braut in the 58th, and a penalty shout was waved off in the 71st after a Skoko corner struck Stevanović’s arm in the box, VAR ruling it unintentional. The spot kick eventually went the other way in the 77th, when Zebić needlessly shoved Erceg in the back as the Gorica forward chased a hopeless ball. Referee Patrik Kolarić pointed to the spot, and Bogojević made no mistake from 11 metres to make it 1-2.
From the 80th minute on, it was all Gorica, with everybody pushing up and balls delivered into the box time and time again. But Rudeš held firm and saw out the win, despite scoring from just two real chances all game. It takes them above Gorica and up to seven points, two clear of their rivals at the bottom. It’s another blow for a Gorica side already in crisis under Mario Carević, whose job is seriously under threat with just 5 points from the first quarter of the campaign.
Hajduk 2-1 Dinamo: Bamba Ends 678-Day Wait For A Win Over Dinamo
Hajduk (4-2-3-1): Silić – Acapandie, Marešić, Raçi (subbed on 90. Hadžikadunić), Hrgović – Del Moral, Fayad (subbed on 89. Dendoncker) – Bamba (subbed on 76. Šutalo), Dalisson (subbed on 90+14. Martin), Šotiček (subbed on 90. Melnjak) – Šego
Dinamo (4-3-3): Kotarski – Tabinas (subbed on 63. Galešić), Dominguez (subbed on 73. Valinčić), McKenna, Perez Vinlöf – Kačavenda (subbed on 63. Stojković), Kravcov, Zajc (subbed on 71. Rodriguez) – Lisica (subbed on 63. Almena), Beljo, Ivanušec
It wasn’t much of a derby atmosphere to start with. Poljud wasn’t sold out; the West Stand was half empty, and the downpour forecasters had promised held off until midway through the first half, when it turned both the pitch and the press box laptops into a mess. Anywho, onto the game! Hajduk looked the sharper side early on. Michele Šego shot off target from 10 metres after a brilliant run down the right from Bamba, who turned Vinlöf the way Messi once did to Boateng, the only difference being that Vinlöf stayed on his feet.
Dinamo took the lead against the run of play in the 21st minute. One rule of thumb when facing the “Modri”: don’t leave Beljo unmarked inside the box. Hajduk’s defence did exactly that, and Perez Vinlöf’s cross from the left found the striker completely free to head home. The lead lasted just three minutes. Šimun Hrgović won a free kick on the left, and his whipped delivery into the six-yard box deflected in off McKenna, 1-1.
Not much else happened before the break. A promising Dinamo move ended in a wall of Hajduk blocks, and Šotiček squared for Bamba, only for that effort to be blocked too. Bamba’s final-third decision-making has never been his strongest asset, but in the 59th minute it became exactly that. Šego received a long pass from Hrgović between the two Dinamo centre-backs and laid it off for Bamba, who hit it first time from the edge of the box. The ball took a slight deflection off McKenna and beat Kotarski through the rain, the keeper left watching it fly past.
Dinamo pushed for an equaliser from the hour mark but rarely threatened Silić seriously. Hajduk had the better of the remaining chances, Bamba again at the heart of it in the 71st, bursting down the right and squaring it for Šotiček, who slipped at the crucial moment and failed to put the game to bed. Both of Dinamo’s full-backs struggled all game to keep up with the two Hajduk wingers, who were fired up from the get-go.
The closing stages descended into something closer to “picigin” or water polo than football. Poljud became a waterlogged pitch, the ball barely moved, and players slipped around in the mud. With both sets of ultras putting on their pyro shows, 12 minutes of added time wasn’t a surprise. Referee Pajač even considered abandoning the match at one point, but it played on after both managers agreed to continue despite the shambolic conditions. Dinamo threw bodies forward in the chaos, and Beljo rattled the post right at the end from a late scramble, but Hajduk survived to see out a genuinely bizarre ending to the derby.
With this victory, Hajduk ended a 678-day wait for a win over their arch rivals. From Dinamo’s perspective, it was yet another lacklustre performance, leaving Mario Kovačević to say once again that they need to do better next game, as he has been saying since the UCL play-off tie vs. Viking. Dinamo haven’t taken a game and won it outright since then; the victories vs. Gorica and Lokomotiva were shaky at best. Sportske Novosti reported after the match that the manager’s time is running out, though he is expected to last until the winter break unless results turn completely sour. As for Hajduk, this was the perfect preparation for their first proper European game vs. Ajax on Thursday. They played a top game and outplayed Dinamo.
And to quickly touch on the refereeing from Pajač: it wasn’t pretty. He let a lot of fouls, hard fouls, go unpunished, and he judged the game poorly, with Kačavenda and Raci both getting away without red cards.
Osijek 1-3 Istra 1961: Istra Stun Opus Arena For First Away Win Of The Season
Osijek (4-2-3-1): Malenica – Kruiver, I. Ježić, Hasić (subbed on 44. Kolarik), Heister (subbed on 62. Kalem) – Vrbančić (subbed on 62. Petrusenko), Mikolčić – Bukvić (subbed on 55. Ljatifi), Tunjić, Cantero (subbed on 56. Dolček) – Leon
Istra 1961 (4-3-3): Kolić – Hrvatin, Nasraoui, Kumar, Šepić – Albarracín (subbed on 85. Kablar), Doumbia (subbed on 30. Hodžić), Maurić (subbed on 46. Ahmeti) – Frederiksen, Tomich, Škafar Žužić (subbed on 79. Goričan)
It was a dream start for the hosts. From a free kick around 20 metres out, Šimun Mikolčić curled a brilliant effort into Kolić’s side of the goal, leaving the keeper rooted. It was just the 2nd minute, and Osijek nearly doubled the lead through Leon soon after. Istra looked toothless early on, with the hosts completely shutting down their best player this season, Emil Frederiksen.
But the game began to turn around the half-hour mark. It started with a forced change, Doumbia going off injured for Hodžić. Shortly after, Škafar Žužić drew Malenica way off his line, though Kruiver cleared the danger with ease in front of an empty goal. It was the prelude to the equaliser: Istra captain Maurić fired home unstoppably, off balance, in the 34th minute, set up by a short corner routine and a fantastic assist from Frederiksen. Two fantastic goals to start us off. Tomich then hit the post deep into first-half stoppage time, and the half closed with another enforced change, Hasić off injured for Kolarik.
The injury problems weren’t done. Maurić himself didn’t emerge for the second half, replaced by Dukan Ahmeti. Istra picked up right where they left off. Tomich hit the woodwork for a second time straight from the restart, before Škafar Žužić capped a strong start to the half by completing the turnaround, finishing off a cutback from Ahmeti at the near post to make it 1-2.
Osijek pushed for at least a point the rest of the way, but Istra’s defence held them off and had chances of their own to finish it. Then, in stoppage time, came another exquisite goal: Ahmeti weaved past five Osijek players like prime Messi before slotting the ball home to make it 1-3 and seal Istra’s first away win of the season.
Lokomotiva 0-1 Varaždin: Mamić Strike Sends Varaždin Up To Second
Lokomotiva (4-2-3-1): Posavec – Karačić, Triantafyllou, Gurlica, Čabrajić (subbed on 46. Kayke) – Vasilj (subbed on 46. Katić), Subotić (subbed on 46. Fetai) – Thaqi (subbed on 79. Đurković), Belcar, Vešović (subbed on 46. Vuković) – Marić
Varaždin (4-2-3-1): Silić – Maglica, Mladenovski, Tepšić, Duraković – Marina (subbed on 78. Puclin), Canjuga – Posavec (subbed on 55. Lesjak), Mamić, Bočkaj (subbed on 71. Duvnjak) – Latković
Nikola Šafarić had to improvise before kickoff. Iuri Tavares was unwell in the warm-up, so Varaždin’s Posavec shifted to the left wing and Petar Bočkaj was drafted in on the right, to general delight from the sparse Maksimir crowd. The first chance of the afternoon came after a mix-up between Varaždin’s centre-backs let Vasilj in on goal, but Silić produced a big save in the 8th minute to keep it level. Two minutes later Posavec curled one just wide from a tight angle on the left. Leon Belcar, up against his former club, was one of the biggest threats of the half. A well-struck free kick from the midfielder in the 19th forced another good save from Silić, and he looked sharp throughout, dropping deep for the ball and creating opportunities for himself and others.
The only goal of the game came in the 40th minute, and it had a touch of vintage Bočkaj class about it. A ball was switched to the right, and he picked out Mamić at the back post with a perfectly weighted trivela cross, Mamić finishing for his fourth of the season. Bočkaj wasn’t flawless himself; not every dribble or pass came off, and he looked a touch short of his best in duels. But his range of passing still cuts through defences the way it always has.
Varaždin started the second half the better side, Bočkaj again the architect. A perfectly weighted ball in behind sent Latković clean through to lob Lokomotiva keeper Posavec, but he scrambled back to make an excellent recovery save. Belcar tried a cheeky chip on Silić in the 49th that drifted over, and Bočkaj was at it again in the 52nd, running a trademark Varaždin move from one flank to the other before shooting himself rather than squaring for an unmarked Mamić, his effort going just wide. A near-identical situation arose in the 61st, and this time Bočkaj did pick out Mamić, but Gurlica got enough on the shot to block it. Lokomotiva’s best spell came in the 70th, with Belcar winning the ball and feeding Vuković, who beat his man before laying off for Thaqi, whose effort went just past the far post.
The final 20 minutes belonged to Lokomotiva as they threw everything at finding an equaliser, but nothing seriously troubled Silić, and the points travelled back to Varaždin. The win takes Varaždin up to second on 18 points, one behind leaders Hajduk, whom they face next at Poljud. Lokomotiva fall to eighth on seven points, with Istra up next for Nikica Jelavić’s squad, whose winless streak continues.
Slaven Belupo 4-1 Rijeka: Farmaceuti Crush Rijeka
Slaven Belupo (4-2-3-1): Čović – Krušelj, Božić (subbed on 21. Kovačić), Mersinaj, Urata – Adeshina, Mažar – Dabro (subbed on 90+2. Lončar), Banovec (subbed on 89. Bošnjak), Mitrović (subbed on 90+2. Zahora) – Nestorovski (subbed on 89. Papac)
Rijeka (4-2-3-1): Vekić – Oreč, Majstorović, Husić, Lasickas (subbed on 80. Bodetić) – Ćubelić, Barco (subbed on 62. Fruk) – Vignato, Dantas (subbed on 80. Gojak), Janković (subbed on 62. Puljić) – Adu-Adjei (subbed on 80. A. M. Jurić)
The HNL keeps finding ways to surprise us. Just when it looked like Rijeka, fresh off beating Hajduk, were ready to push for the top, Slaven Belupo brought them crashing back down with a 4-1 win over Kek’s side.
Rijeka didn’t need long to threaten. Lasickas drove into space and was clipped by Adeshina for a penalty, but Čović saved Janković’s effort. VAR quickly ruled the keeper had come off his line early, and the retake fell to Dantas, who sent Čović the wrong way to put Rijeka ahead in the 7th minute. Janković had a chance to make amends soon after but lifted a good opportunity over the bar, and Rijeka continued to threaten in behind without finding a second.
Their fragility showed too. Nestorovski’s flick-on confused Majstorović and Husić enough to let Banovec in, but Igor Vekić denied him. Rijeka then got comfortable with the lead and ceded the initiative to the home side, who punished it. Slaven levelled through centre-back Mersinaj, completely unmarked at the back post from a Banovec cross in the 35th. Worse followed early in the second half: Slaven won the ball in their own half and hit Rijeka with their own weapon, a rapid transition finished off by Banovec for 2-1.
From there Rijeka were forced to chase the game, a mode Kek’s side still hasn’t figured out this season. Toni Fruk came on but couldn’t change the tide as he usually does. Slaven stayed disciplined, closed down the midfield, and punished two more transitions through Ilija Nestorovski. The first was a precise and utterly brilliant finish from the edge of the box; the second saw the Macedonian convert a rebound after a brilliant Vekić save, completing the 4-1 scoreline.
It was a result that summed up why Rijeka left Koprivnica empty-handed: plenty of chances to kill the game, none of them taken, and as the saying goes, “When you don’t score, you concede.” For Čabraja, these points mean plenty. Slaven pull clear of Lokomotiva and Rudeš on seven, leave Gorica even further behind on five, and climb to a more comfortable and very familiar seventh place, just two points off Istra. Rijeka and Kek, meanwhile, are still missing a lot of pieces to pick up points consistently, leaving the Kvarner side in the middle of the table in 5th.
The SuperSport HNL standings after the 1/4 of the season:
