MaxTV Prva Liga Week 29 – Rijeka Takes Jadranski Derbi **UPDATED**

 

 

Results for April 4-6, 2014

 

 

HNK RIJEKA 4 – 1 HNK HAJDUK SPLIT

 

 

This is the 133rd time the Jadranski Derbi has been contested since its conception in 1946, and could very well be one of the most important match of the season for both teams.

The two clubs are fervently vying for second place, but Rijeka now has the upper hand, thanks to their 4-1 win over their Adriatic rivals.

Doubles from both Ivan Krstanović and Anas Sharbini helped Rijeka take the match, as well as a five-point lead in the standings over Hajduk.

Rijeka got on the scoreboard first thanks to a penalty call on Hajduk goalkeeper, Dante Stipica.

Stipica was shown a yellow card for running into Krstanović and bringing him down in the box.

Krstanović returned the favor by scoring on the ensuing penalty kick and putting his team in the lead.

But it did not take long for Hajduk to respond with a goal of their own.  For a brief time, Mario Pašalić made the teams level once again with his 28th minute goal.

Pašalić slotted one past Ivan Vargić after Ante Maglica beat the Rijeka back line and fed Pašalić the ball.

But for the second time in the match, Krstanović went down in the penalty area, and once again, he easily beat Stipica with the penalty kick.

Adding insult to injury, Mario Maloča was sent off after taking Krstanović down, leaving Hajduk with only 10 men to finish the match.

The man advantage helped Rijeka immensely. The home team controlled the remainder of the match and overwhelmed Hajduk with their heavy offensive pressure.

Hajduk eventually succumbed to Rijeka’s man advantage when Goran Mujanović sent a perfect aerial cross to Sharbini who finished the play with a strong header to score his first of the match.

Sharbini struck again in the 80th minute with Rijeka’s fourth goal, which was assisted by late-game substitute, Zoran Kvržić.

Rijeka’s five point lead for second place should be comforting to them, but it is not inconceivable for them to give first-place Dinamo a run for their money.

Rijeka will have a chance to make up even more ground with Dinamo Zagreb next weekend when the two clubs play each other at Maksimir.

Andrej Kramarić will make his return for the match after missing the Jadranski Derbi due to yellow card accumulation.

 

 

 

 

 

NK ZADAR 1 – 2 GNK DINAMO ZAGREB

 

 

Dinamo bounced back from their shocking defeat last week at the hands of Osijek with a solid victory at Zadar.

Goals from Junior Fernandes and Duje Čop were enough for the Modri to secure a win and inch their way closer to another Croatian title.

Fernandes wasted no time in the match and scored his goal in the fourth minute with a right-footed blast from just outside the penalty area, marking his 12th goal of the season.

Čop scored his 18th and league-leading goal in the 38th minute after an impressive individual effort before tapping the ball in the goal to finish the play.

Dinamo continued to dominate the match until Zadar was able to turn the momentum around, and gave something for the home crowd to cheer about.

Josip Tadić cut Dinamo’s lead in half with his 70th minute goal.

Ivo Weitzer sent in a low cross that Dinamo keeper Antonijo Ježina just got his finger tips on, but it wasn’t enough to stop the ball from reaching Tadić who tapped it into the wide open goal.

Zadar came only inches from tying the match in the 83rd minute when Tadić had another attempt on target.

Tadić struck the ball after a quick 20-yard run down the right side. His shot beat Ježina who helplessly watched it roll towards the goal, only to see the ball bounce off the post, leaving Dinamo still in the lead.

Zadar once again came only inches from tying the match in stoppage time when Tadić and how fellow strikers tried to overwhelm Dinamo’s defense with power in numbers.

Tadić headed a ball from close range that went over Ježina’s head and seemed destined for the back of the net, but youngster, Jozo Šimunović, made it just in time for a goal line clearance to keep his team in the lead.

The two goals by the Dinamo forwards ended up being enough for the team to collect their three points, and now hold an eight-point lead in the standings.

Dinamo will try to extend that lead next week when they face second place team, Rijeka at Maksimir.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NK LOKOMOTIVA 1 – 2 NK OSJIEK

 

 

Osijek is definitely up for the challenge to stay in the Prva Liga, and won it’s second consecutive match over top clubs from Zagreb.

After their stunning victory over Croatian champions, Dinamo Zagreb at home, Osijek took three points from Lokomotiva at Maksimir Stadium.

Osijek have struggled through the season, but their record away from home is particularly dismal, having only two draws and 12 defeats in matches away from Gradski Vrt.

But Osijek was up for the task against a strong Lokomotiva side, and defeated them 2-1.

Osijek’s first goal came from Tomislav Šorša in only the eighth minute of play.

Josip Mišić received a perfect through ball from the midfield that led him into Lokomotiva territory.

After being run down by Lokosi defense, he sent a tough cross that Šorša met with one touch and put it in the goal to take the lead.

This did not slow the home team down as Mario Šitum nearly answered right back with a goal, but struck the cross bar with his shot.

The Lokosi were able tie the match with a penalty kick awarded in the 35th minute that 18-year-old Marko Pjaca scored.

But Josip Barišić was the hero of the match for Osijek thanks to his 88th minute game-winning goal.

The three points were almost invaluable to the struggling club as they inch further and further from relegation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NK HRVATSKI DRAGOVOLJAC 3 – 3 NK SLAVEN BELUPO

 

 

In what turned out to be the most exciting match of the week may have also been one of the most important matches of the season for the two struggling clubs.

Slaven has been in extremely poor form as of late and have plummeted down the league table and are now trying to stay out of last place.

The Volunteers have been in last place for nearly the entire season, but have been playing much better football, and are working towards salvation.

Slaven came out ready to play immediately. Dominik Glavina scored almost instantly in the sixth minute.

He knew his team needs three points to stay out of last place, and started the scoring early.

The offensive pressure continued for Slaven and Glavina scored a second goal in the 30th minute But the legend, Davor Vugrinec looked to put the match out of reach for the Volunteers and scored from the penalty area in ht 45th minute.

Dragovoljac was down three goals by half time, but it was an entirely different match after the start of the second 45.

The Volunteers led an offensive onslaught against Slaven in the first 15 minutes of the half.

Stipe Bačelić-Grgić had several attempts on target, but ended up striking the post twice with in a span of two minutes; once after chipping goalkeeper Tomislav Pelin who could do nothing but helplessly watch the ball roll into the net, but the heavy bounce the ball took ended up forcing it off the crossbar.

Minutes later, Pelin made a finger tip save from Bačelić Grgić, pushing the ball off the post.

But The Volunteers could not be stopped. Ivan Božić was able to find the back of the net in the 50th minute and used that momentum to build upon.

Only five minutes later, Bačelić-Grgić also scored, bringing them with in one goal of Slaven.

But Božić was able to find one more goal in him in the 74th minute when he scored from the penalty spot to tie the match.

The Volunteers came back from a three-goal deficit to earn a valuable point in their quest to avoid relegation.

They now sit two points behind Slaven, and only five points from the sure safety of eighth place.

The Volunteers’ first team were not the only ones to come back from sure defeat this week. Their U-15 team from their youth academy participated in the 2014 Nike Premier Cup against Croatian clubs from all over the country.

The entered the finals against NK Osijek’s youth team and after going down 2-0, they came back with two goals, and sent the match into penalties, where they won.

The team will now get the chance to show off their talents in their first international European competition when they face other nation’s Nike Premier victors in Vienna on May 1-4.

This is the Volunteers youth team’s best result in the history of the club.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RNK SPLIT 2 – 0 NK ISTRA 1961

 

 

Split is widening the gap between them and Istra 1961, who are behind them by a now 11-point difference in the league.

They still sit eight points back from the final European spot, but still have a chance of making things interesting as the season is approaching its end.

Henri Belle scored first in the match in the 40th minute from the penalty spot. Tomislav Glumac scored the second goal in the 64th minute to put three more points in the book for Split while playing at Youth Park.

Split coach, Ivan Matić was very pleased with the way his team played today.

“I think this is the best game split since I’m the coach,” Matić said. “I am pleased with the game from the beginning. We had control, the players responded in the right way and I think it is well deserved victory. Everything worked well. Satisfaction is when you connect the game and the end result.”

Split will have the opportunity to make up more ground against Hajduk, who they play next week at Poljud.

Their schedule gets tougher as they must then travel to Maksimir to take on Dinamo. The scheduled is tough, but it will be an opportunity to make up a lot of ground on the clubs that are ahead of them.