With the Eternal Derby this Sunday, Hajduk has a great chance to be just two points behind Dinamo in the Croatian First League standings.
Yesterday was one of the more exciting days in Croatian football. Ahead of Hajduk’s home match against Cibalia, Torcida released a dramatic statement demanding the resignation of Hajduk president Ivan Kos. Moments later, Dinamo fell to Osijek at Maksimir and returned uncertainty to the race for the Croatian champion. At Poljud last night, Hajduk destroyed Cibalia with a 4:0 victory, bringing the Split club just five points behind Dinamo ahead of the Eternal Derby at Poljud this Sunday, reports Gol.hr on April 18, 2018.
Even before the derby at Maksimir, some 15,000 fans were expected at Poljud in the hope of Hajduk breaking their 20-year-old record for the most spectators at Poljud in a single season. After Dinamo’s defeat, even more Hajduk fans rushed to the stadium last minute to help Hajduk lessen the point gap in the league.
And they did.
After their victory over Cibalia, Hajduk is now just five points behind Dinamo, and since the Zagreb club arrives at Poljud on Sunday for the greatest derby in Croatian football, it’s hard to find the words to describe the euphoria that will penetrate the air in Dalmatia this weekend.
If Hajduk is, in fact, victorious over Dinamo on Sunday, the Zagreb club’s advantage will be reduced to just two points before the end of the championship, making the run for the title far more open. When we also take into consideration that next week Dinamo awaits a derby with Rijeka at Maksimir while Hajduk heads to Koprivnica, it is even more evident that Hajduk has a chance to lead in the chase.
Dinamo's defeat to Osijek may be surprising to some, but not by much. Even with new coach Nikola Jurčević, Dinamo has not made any significant progress this season, and mostly win on individual quality, just as it was under the leadership of Mario Cvitanović. Dinamo’s primarily poor play recently relies on their best player, Soudani - and when he is not in full force, Dinamo has no alternative solution. This crisis in Dinamo’s game is yet another reason for the optimism of Hajduk and their fans. As things stand now, Hajduk might be able to accomplish what they considered to be impossible until now. Could Dinamo’s chances melt away like ice cream in the hot Split sun?
What we know today is that Hajduk has a better chance than ever, and whether or not they can lessen the gap to just two points will largely depend on the level of their form. If Hajduk continues to win, and if they defeat Dinamo at Poljud, their chances of a championship title for the first time in 13 years is achievable. Although Hajduk would still be behind by two points, the psychological advantage will be on the Hajduk player's side. Dinamo will be under enormous pressure, which is something they are not accustomed to - and when they are severely under pressure, we can see them lose the race for the title, just as they did last season to Rijeka.
Dinamo is a club that is known to compete well in the early stages of the season, and until recently, it seemed that this would again be enough. Their poor results and play have given Hajduk a chance to jump them, and perhaps even take the championship title from them once more.
One thing we know for certain - an exciting end of the season awaits.
