The one year experiment of the HNS to expand the Croatian league by four teams is now underway. In it’s first week, Dinamo Zagreb showed us why they will undoubtedly be the best club in Croatia this season while Hajduk Split struggled to even earn one point against NK Osijek.
Dinamo should win the league this year by a 12 point margin.
Here are the 1st Round results for July 24-26th…
Dinamo Zagreb [7 – 1] NK Istra 1961
DINAMO’S MIROSLAV SLEPIČKA
NK Osijek [1 – 1] Hajduk Split
HAJDUK HELD TO A DRAW BY OSIJEK
NK Rijeka [6 – 0] NK Lokomotiva
Both Anas Sharbini and Ahmad Sharbibi started off the new season with hat tricks against Lokomotiva.
Slaven Belupo [2 – 0] NK Zagreb
Inter Zaprešić [1 – 1] Varteks Varaždin
Croatia Sesvete [1 – 2] HNK Šibenik
Međimurje [1 – 1] NK Karlovac
NK Zadar [0 – 3] Cibalia Vinkovci
I think most if not all hajduk fans realize Dinamo is a better club. Hajduk is garbage and the people who have run the team the last 10 years are to blame for the mess.
As for the Sharbini brothers….dinamo must think a washed up greek that nobody else wanted is a better option.
It probably has something to do with the fact that mamic is not srabini's agent, so he would not get a slice of any future trasnfer fee.
Who else is still beyond shocked that the Sharbini bros are still at Rijeka?
How Dinamo or Hajduk haven't picked them up is a travesty.
Dinamo will be Champion again…sorry tovari.
It is depressing, somehow Stimac thought this would be actually good. How does Dinamo blowing out Istra 7-1 improve the league? If anything, all it will do is falsify stats for a higher profit in sale for the current lineup of players waiting their exit.
If we are going to judge this by 1 week, Osijek are vastly a superior opponent to Istra, so when Dinamo actually are challenged by Rijeka, Slaven or Osijek, we'll see what the Mamic crew can do. But more than likely, Dinamo will have the title clinched by the start of the 2nd half, and it will be a battle for relegation.
maybe the MLS should follow Croatia and expand from 15 to 16 teams.. forming one division would be a start.
Last season was ok because of how close Hajduk and Dinamo were atop the table. With Kalinic, as Hajduk sports director put it 'one foot out the door', Hajduk has a slim chance to duplicate last seasons result.
How depressing is the HNL. Please convince me otherwise.
great, i am really looking forward to seeing all these watered down 7-1, 6-0 blowouts throughout this 16 team season