In the past 60 matches between Hajduk Split and Rijeka, Hajduk has won 27 times while 17 have ended in a draw.
Hajduk has historically been among the cream-of-the-crop in not only the HNL, but in the Yugo first league as well, consistently winning titles over the likes of Dinamo Zagreb, Crvena Zvezda, and Partizan.
But in recent days, Hajduk’s dominance has dwindled and has made way for a new threat to the league.
160 miles north of Split, one of Hajduk’s fiercest rivals, Rijeka, has turned into a new force in Croatia. In the past 10 matches between the two clubs, Hajduk has gone winless. In fact, Hajduk has not beat Rijeka since March 21, 2012, and Wednesday’s match was no exception.
The two teams met at Kantrida yesterday in a make-up game after the match was postponed two weeks ago due to heavy snow.
Rijeka entered the match as favorites with full expectations of victory, and their play clearly spoke of their confidence and skill.
Despite being without goalkeeper, Ivan Vargić and midfielders, Mate Maleš, Josip Mišić, and others, Rijeka started Anas Sharbini and Vedran Jugović on the wings, and it paid off quickly.
Jugović scored in the second minute of the game and set the tone for the rest of the evening.
Newcomer Bekim Balaj, who only made his HNL debut for Rijeka this past weekend against Istra, scored his first league-goal with the club in the 13th minute to make it 2-0.
Balaj’s goal came from a well-struck shot from nearly 20 yards out to beat Marko Ranilović who had no chance of making the save.
Rijeka continued to run the show with possession and dominance throughout out the rest of the first half and into the second.
Hajduk only registered three shots on target with none of them threatening Andrej Prskalo, who was in net to replace Ivan Vargić who was sidelined to to a recent bout of headaches.
Rijeka sealed the deal in the 83rd minute when Jugović scored his second goal of the game.
“We were better, more dominant, and deserved to win,” Rijeka coach, Matjaz Kek said. “The correct team won the derby and we dominated. Congratulations to the players.”
The tides have changed in the Jadranski Derby and have left Rijeka with the chance to easily sail though the rest of the season and capture second place in the league which will lead them to a Europa League spot.
Just when you thought he was done, seems like his career has gotten second wind.
Petric today scored the winning goal of the Greek derby for Panathinakos against league leaders Olympiakos. The win puts Panathinakos 3 points out of first place.
Yep, Hrvati doing what Hrvati do best, and that’s propelling their teams to greater heights. Job well done for Mandzu, Jelavic, Santini, and Petric this week.
The lineup stuff is out of our hands so no point in it as the neznalica nk will put his favs in i just imagine if pletikosa didnt retire a 11 of Pletikosa Srna Lovren Corluka Pranjic Modric Rakitic Perisic Kovacic Olic mandzukic haaa lol NK neznaloca 4 life sjeba si 2014 i takoder 2016
Friends, I just another form of jock sniffing. Now, if you thought being an adult male and wearing the last name of a person you don’t even know on your back, well I have some worse levels of jock sniffing.
I’m flipping through the channels and stopped at one of these red carpet shows for the Oscars……..they actually have people who hold an umbrella for a person. Some liberal hollywood starlet had two people holding an umbrella for her so she wouldn’t get wet in the rain. Now, imagine if that was your job – to hold an umbrella for a person.
If that was the case, I would go all Mrs. Stipe Pletikosa and try to kill myself.
God help us if we ever have to rely on Cop in a meaningful game. To be fair, most teams outside Germany would be in trouble having to rely on the 4th or 5th option at forward.
@ Faux Cro
Jelavic has the most Premiership goals of any EPL Hrvat.
And yes, he’s the club’s all-time leading scorer in top flight.
One more goal will give him the most goals scored of any Hull player in a single season in the Premiership.
@ Poglavnik
If I had to pick 4 forwards for a 23 man squad. Jelavic would be among them: Mandzu, Kramaric, Jelavic, and Cop. He’s definetly serviceable.
For those of you who don’t think the BBB and Torcida can live together……here you. They have two things in common: this and the willingness to sacrifice Cro’s trip to the Euros by causing damage at qualifiers all to clean up Cro soccer and get rid of Mamic and Puppet Suker.
http://croative.net/?p=27953
Congrats to Ivo Karlovic for winning a title today. Granted, a 250-level tourney with a limited field, but a title win is a title win.
Our Davis Cup draw is looking to be in bad shape even if Djokovic decides not to play. Doper Cilic has not played since November.
Look at Me Livaja, huh????????
Sharbini, huh???????
Radosevic, huh??????
Bradaric, huh???????
Cop, huh??????
Kalinic, huh???????
based on what? Do you just throw names out there for no reason and hope they stick? Keep trying
Maybe we need a song for Ziva Ziva merikanac hahahah.
Subasic Srna Corluka Vida Strinic-Modric Brozovic Perisic Rakitic Mnadzukic Kramaric good 11 and also a roster of Kalinic Vargic Livakovic Vrsaljko Jedvaj Lovren Sifo Leskovic Mitrovic Leovac Badelj Kovacic Mocinic Coric Halilovic Kranjcar Tomecak Sharbini Radosevic Pasalic Pjaca Bradaric Santini Rebic Livaja Cop Kalinic
Maybe we need a song for Ziva Ziva merikanac hahahah.
Subasic Srna Corluka Vida Strinic-Modric Brozovic Perisic Rakitic Mnadzukic Kramaric good 11 and also a roster of Kalinic Vargic Livakovic Vrsaljko Jedvaj Lovren Sifo Leskovic Mitrovic Leovac Badelj Kovacic Mocinic Coric Halilovic Kranjcar Tomecak Sharbini Radosevic Pasalic Bradaric Santini Rebic Livaja Cop Kalinic
strong passion of the fan base???????????? Where????? Not in Cro. No fans attend. If the league died today, nobody would miss it. We still produce insanely great individual talent and they would move to neighboring countries. The talent will always be there.
@maminjo……..well, you are in the minority. More and more people use tablets and computers while watching tv or at live sporting events. Twitter, even though I have yet to fully embrace it, and Facebook are worth multi billions of dollars in part of that. People like to receive and provide instant commentary and info while watching sporting events. Plus, from a personal and selfish standpoint, when I am in a stadium I need access right away to my sports betting sites so I can bet on the games I am watching. Halftime betting and other matches in progress or about to start.
I don’t watch TV from a non-HD TV, but when I’m watching the game, I’m not browsing on my phone or tablet either.
The HD TV improves the quality of view, but adding Wi-Fi doesn’t.
However, what WOULD improve the view at the game would be for the fans to sit down, or to not have so many hooligans with giant signs or flags blocking your view….but that will never change,and is closely tied to the strong passion of the fan base.
You can’t have both. It’s a trade off.
Wake up dumbies. Hnl is not dead. People in Croatia have bigger concerns. Like providing for the family. Damn some of the firms don’t even pay on time.
Hnl is a good league, good entertainment plus get to see the future Croatian stars. Enjoy it.
it is a bunch of items that need to be improved. Better cell reception, better food and drink options, more comfortable seats, better HD TVs in the suites, a roof to be protected from the elements, HD scoreboard. Those type of items will help bring people when its a random game and not just some big match.
I am sure most of you like to live with the latest top end items. You don’t watch TV from a non-HD TV do you? You use a an Apple or Samsung product, not some junk, right???? Same thing when it comes to sports and entertainment. I don’t go to a sporting event and eat shit food, I want good, quality items.
The HNL is a dead league and they do nothing to entice people to come watch.
Wi-Fi is pretty much free wherever you go in Croatia.
Not sure why having Wi-Fi at the stadium would entice someone to go to a HNL game.
Typical Amerikanac, lol
^ ^
I seriously doubt the state of the facilities is what’s keeping Hrvati away from games.
I’d still have Jelavic on the team.
3 or 4 striker.
He’s a scrapper and he’s got size and experience in the best league in the world.
Now we are at the point where less than 100 people are showing up to Cro league matches. This is what happens when you have dire facilities and lack any motivation to improve by offering comfortable seating, a roof, wifi access, a an HD scoreboard, adequate food and beverage selection.
Hell, we have more people on here commenting about the league that people who actually watch the league.
Leicester with the choke job autogol. Oh well. Still got a point.
Leicester might be pulling off an upset against Everton.
2-1 with 15 minutes left.
I am not sure if Jelavic has the most goals of any EPL Hrvat, but he has the most goals for Hull.
People like to discredit him, but scoring 8 goals in 20 games for a team like Hull is no easy task. Jozy Altidore could have spent 20 seasons there and not come up with 8 goals.
great news…. Cro vs Ant
looking through that article on coric there was a video on kovacic seems like a very good kid that seems to live the ZDS lifestyle
i hope he turns it around and gets consistent
Mandzukic in beast mode with a goal and two assists!
Jelavic keeping his side afloat with a valuable goal. He’s scored the most goals of any Hrvat in the Premiership.
And finally Ivan Santini, scoring 4 goals in Kortrijk’s victory over Westerlo, making him the leading scorer in the Beligium league.
Nobody at dinamo or in Cro will ever be better than what Zuti was at the age of 17, 18, 19….. Nobody.
Injuries and a last work tpethic kept Zuti from realizing his full potential.
So, anyone who buys the bullshit than so and so player is better than what Zuti was at a young age is either an idiot or never watched Prosinecki.
@ nepoznat – Haha, more bullshit from the Mamic’s who are looking thin at making money from transfers in the short-term.
UEFA.com’s weekly wonderkid: Ante Ćorić
Ante Ćorić is better at 17 than Zvonimir Boban, Robert Prosinečki and Luka Modrić, say GNK Dinamo Zagreb insiders – no surprise some of Europe’s biggest sides are keen.
http://www.uefa.com/memberassociations/association=cro/news/newsid=2210929.html
wow, lokomotiva won
ANALYSIS: Former Real and Croatia midfielder Robert Jarni tells Goal his former club have missed the 29-year-old, but says they should avoid rushing him back to action
‘Madrid aren’t the same without Modric’ – why Luka’s return is such a big boost for Ancelotti
http://www.goal.com/en/news/1717/editorial/2015/02/20/9086752/madrid-arent-the-same-without-modric-why-lukas-return-is
Ranilovic looks like crap
Sinko,show proper respect to the grown ups.You say sorry to Barba Colin ,or you favourite Landon donovan bobble head doll will never bobble again once I get to it.
Me???? Bitter????? Nah!!!!!!
Ziva sounds bitter 😉
another exciting HNL match, huh?
He’s on Rijeka
Where is Radosevic?
Luka is back in group training with Madrid!
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150790007299953.1073742647.19034719952&type=1
Forza Fiume!!!
and FYI it wasn’t Lovre Kalinic in goal for Hajduk, I think he is ill but not injured?
Radosevic looked pretty good, and so did Balic from Hajduk. Would’ve liked to see more time for Vlasic than just 9′
It’s fine and great that Rijeka are doing well and have the healthiest team in the HNL … I just wish Hajduk and Dinamo weren’t a mess and it would be a 3 strong teams going at it for the top spots. If we could have that and then maybe a 4th team with a good fan base that could consistently win a few games in Europe (ideally, a team like Istra, Osijek, NK Zagreb, etc.) the league would be a whole lot easier to watch…
bravo rijeka