It was a more than chaotic 13th round of the Croatian First League which took place from October 20 - 22, 2017.
Where do we begin?
The 13th round of the Croatian First League came to an end last night with another shocking loss for Rijeka. The real fun, however, was had on Saturday evening in an absolute thriller of a match between Hajduk and Dinamo for the always exciting (and incredibly dramatic) eternal derby at Poljud.
From club arrests to growing tensions and morale lower than before for the football federation, Croatian football, as it currently stands, is in shambles.
Wondering now more than ever before if an olive branch will be extended to make ends meet, here’s our round 13 recap. Pay particular attention to the bit about Hajduk and Dinamo.
Inter Zaprešić vs. NK Rudeš (3:1)
Inter and Rudeš kicked off the 13th round of the Croatian First League on Friday, October 20, 2017, in Zaprešić.
While Inter was not able to celebrate in front of their fans since the end of July, after losing to Slaven Belupo, Rijeka, and Dinamo, the curse was broken in the 13th round for this Zagreb team after winning at home against Rudeš.
Inter scored quickly, securing a 1:0 lead with a goal by Cirjak in the 15th minute. The team led 1:0 at the half.
In the second half, Inter’s Šarić increased the lead to 2:0. Rudeš made things interesting with a goal in the 78th minute by Budimir, but it was Inter to have the last laugh after Andrić scored in the 80th minute for a final score of 3:1.
Inter is currently in 6th place with 17 points while Rudeš is currently in the last place with 7 points.
Cibalia vs. Slaven Belupo (1:0)
In the second match of the 13th round, Cibalia pushed through a home victory against Belupo in Vinkovci.
While many of us have been questioning Cibalia’s fate in the Croatian First League, the team pulled out a critical win against Belupo after a goal by Marko Dabro in the 34th minute.
Cibalia is currently in 8th place with 12 points, while Belupo is currently in 7th place with 13.
Hajduk vs. Dinamo (2:2)
Hajduk and Dinamo met for the eternal derby at Poljud on October 21, 2017.
While you can read our full match report here, the two relentless rivals pulled out a draw in Split to 25,000 raging fans.
The game may have ended 2:2, but there is a lot more to the story that has been circulating around Croatian media over the weekend. We are sure that the story does not end here.
Here’s a recap of what went down.
- A spectacular display by Torcida to begin the match
- A series of bad calls by the officials, including an offside goal for Dinamo and a potential second penalty for Hajduk? You can decide for yourselves below.
The goal for Dinamo...
And the potential second penalty for Hajduk...
- Flares launched onto the middle of the pitch by Dinamo’s fan group “Bad Blue Boys”. While the referee failed to stop the game, one of the fan group’s flares was launched into the fans of the west stands where children were sitting. Nothing was done by the officials.
- Torcida’s display of flares during the 67th minute which caused the game to halt for minutes. One or two flares were launched onto the pitch close to the goal line but not near the play. The main official added 7 minutes of extra time for the delay.
- Bad Blue Boys fight with riot police in the stands.
- A fight breaks out in the VIP lodge between Hajduk President Ivan Kos, director of football Mario Branco, Dinamo chief executive Tomislav Svetina and financial director Matej Škegro.
Slobodna Dalmacija and Goal.com report:
“The director of Dinamo Tomislav Svetin provoked Hajduk executives at 1:2 and allegedly said, “now there is justice”. After Erceg scored the penalty for Hajduk (2:2), Hajduk’s director Mario Branco said “and now he doesn’t talk“, to which Dinamo’s financial expert Matej Škegro supposedly grabbed Branco’s chest.
Because of that, Hajduk President Ivan Kos jumped over to separate the three.
The entire incident was filmed, and the police have checked what happened in the lodge - whether it was a physical offense and how serious it was. Ivan Kos and Mario Branco of Hajduk and Tomislav Svetina and Matej Škegro of Dinamo were immediately taken to the station after the match. The witnesses included Kristian Petric, Saša Bjelanović, Krešimir Gojun, Velimir Slovacek and Jerko Trogrlić from Hajduk, and Krešimir Antolić from Dinamo.
The director of Dinamo commented on the incident by saying:
“We did not provoke anyone in the lodge. The only way is if someone thinks a celebration is a provocation. If anything, when we celebrated the goal, the sports director of Hajduk Branco got in my face and then there was pushing. That is it, I will not comment on anymore,” said Svetina.
The incident was followed by a video from Dinamo's PR Department, denying any responsibility for what happened during the derby. This was after both Dinamo's coach and footballer Borna Sosa praised the atmosphere at Poljud.
You can watch the full match highlights below.
Dinamo remains in first place with 31 points while Hajduk remains in third place with 24 points.
Lokomotiva Zagreb vs. Istra (1:0)
Lokomotiva and Istra met on October 22, 2017, in Zagreb for a much tamer match in the 13th round.
Lokomotiva’s Majer secured a goal for the club in the 56th minute, which would be the final score of the match.
Lokomotiva is currently in fifth place with 18 points while Istra is in ninth place with 9 points.
Rijeka vs. Osijek (1:2)
Rijeka and Osijek met on Sunday, October 22, 2017, for the final match of the 13th round at Rujevica.
While Rijeka was first to score with a goal by Gavranović in the 55th minute, it was Osijek who could come back to score two goals - one by Grezda in the 62nd minute and one by Bočkaj in the 79th minute. This is the first time Osijek has won away at Rijeka in seven years.
It is no surprise that the Croatian champions are struggling more than ever, and whether or not Kek will remain the coach is in question.
Rijeka remains in second place with 25 points while Osijek sits in fourth with 24.
