Just when you thought it was over, Rijeka overtook Dinamo on Saturday at Maksimir, closing the gap between the clubs to six points with four matches to go. Dinamo passed a tough test at Poljud last week, greatly increasing their odds of being once again crowned champions of Croatia, but they had one last difficult hill to climb when they hosted Rijeka this past … [Read more...] about HNL Title Race Remains Hot
NK Slaven Belupo
HNL Kicks off 2017/2018 Season
By 5 CommentsFriday saw the return of the HNL for its 27th season (now called the Hrvatski Telekom Prva Liga). Dinamo’s Sammir returned to China, NK Rudeš has joined the Prva Liga, and Inter’s Vlatko Blažević has been called the “New Jamie Vardy” after scoring two goals in his debut. A lot has happened since Rijeka was crowed champions. Keep up with the latest news here. Inter … [Read more...] about HNL Kicks off 2017/2018 Season
HNL Spring Season Begins: Sammir Returns to Dinamo, Rijeka Remain on Top
By 7 CommentsSpring has returned ... at least here in Florida, and that means the HNL is back in action. Today marked the restart of the league after a long bleak winter and it kicked off with a match featuring NK Istra 1961 defeating NK Lokomotiva 1-0. Goran Roce scored the lone goal via the penalty spot in the 29th minute. Istra just returned home after a warm … [Read more...] about HNL Spring Season Begins: Sammir Returns to Dinamo, Rijeka Remain on Top
HNL Week 16: Dinamo Disappoints, Rijeka Can’t Capitalize
By Leave a CommentFor those who follow 1.HNL, no one is sure what is more disappointing, Dinamo’s 1-1 draw against NK Istra 1961 on Friday afternoon or Rijeka’s inability to capitalize on Dinamo’s draw and played to a scoreless draw themselves against Slaven Belupo on Sunday. Rijeka remains six points ahead of Dinamo, but failed to make it an insurmountable eight-point lead after an … [Read more...] about HNL Week 16: Dinamo Disappoints, Rijeka Can’t Capitalize
HNL Week 13
By 5 CommentsIt was a rough weekend for the away teams, who collectively scored zero goals in any match. Dinamo Zagreb hosted Cibalia and kept them winless on Saturday morning, handing them a 3-0 shutout. Angelo Henriquez ended a six-month goal drought, finally finding the back of the net in the 42nd minute against the last place team. The former Manchester United man also appeared in … [Read more...] about HNL Week 13
HNL In A Nutshell – Week 7
By 25 CommentsRoutine wins came for Dinamo and Rijeka over the weekend, leaving the two clubs tied for the top position on the table while the Osijek re emerges as a league contender and sits three points behind in third place. Dinamo beat NK Istra 1961 2-1 in Pula, leaving the Puljani still in search of their first win while Rijeka soundly took care of Slaven Belupo … [Read more...] about HNL In A Nutshell – Week 7
HNL Week 30
By 16 CommentsFive matches, five shutouts in this week’s HNL competitions. The week started off on Friday with a 0-0 draw between NK Osijek and RNK Split in the Garden City. Both sides were without their starting goalkeepers, but the respective second-stringers did their part to record clean sheets for their team. Aljoša Vojnović was awarded a penalty kick in the 13th … [Read more...] about HNL Week 30
HNL Returns – Week 22
By 51 Comments2016 has started out much like 2015 ended: With Dinamo on top. Dinamo is continuing its six-game winning streak with another victory on Sunday against Zagreb on a nearly unplayable pitch at Kranjčevićeva. The abysmal field conditions only set an even better stage for the controversy that was to come midway through the second half. Zagreb started the match … [Read more...] about HNL Returns – Week 22
HNL Week 19
By 10 CommentsDinamo Zagreb pulled off a dramatic win against Hajduk Split on Saturday with a close score of 2-1. The last time these two teams met at Maksimir, Dinamo struck five goals in a landslide victory, but Hajduk has been a difficult opponent in the HNL this season and kept the match close. The contest was overwhelmed by a foggy evening in Zagreb that made watching … [Read more...] about HNL Week 19