February 11, 2019 - The 20th round of the Croatian First League began on February 8th with Rudeš and Osijek and ended on February 10th with Hajduk and Lokomotiva.
The Croatian First League (HNL) returned for yet another exciting weekend of Croatian football. The 20th round saw fairly easy meetings for Croatia’s top clubs, though a few of them struggled to get those three points, and the highly anticipated game between Hajduk and Lokomotiva at Poljud, which was the first time fans of the Split club could see them at home in 126 days.
Without further ado, here is our HNL 20th round recap.
Rudeš v. Osijek (0:1)
Rudeš and Osijek opened the 20th round on Friday, February 8, 2019, at Kranjčevićeva street stadium in Zagreb.
The first half went without goals, though Rudeš’s Krajinović missed a penalty, which could have put the Zagreb club in the lead. Osijek was quick to score in the second half with a goal by Marić in the 47th minute, which ended as the only goal of the game. 250 spectators witnessed the Osijek win.
Rudeš remains in the last place with 3 points while Osijek is in 2nd place with 37.
Slaven Belupo v. Gorica (2:0)
Slaven Belupo and Gorica met on Saturday, February 9, 2019, in Koprivnica.
Thanks to two early Belupo goals in the first half by Krstanović in the 3rd and Puclin in the 13th, Belupo secured the win. And they even missed a penalty in the 85th minute!
Belupo is currently in 7th place with 21 points while Gorica is in 5th with 30.
Dinamo v. Istra 1961 (1:0)
Dinamo and Istra met at Maksimir on Saturday, February 9, 2019.
The Croatian champions met the second to last-placed team in the Croatian First League on Saturday and struggled to get the win. The first half went without goals, and it wasn’t until the 86th minute that Dinamo was given a penalty which Petković scored for 1:0 and the victory.
Dinamo is currently in first place with 51 points while Istra is in 9th with 16.
Inter Zaprešić v. Rijeka (0:3)
Inter and Rijeka met on Sunday, February 10, 2019, at ŠRC Zaprešić.
The first half went without goals, though it was Rijeka to pick up the pace in the second half to score all three of the game - Puljić in the 66th minute, Lončar in the 69th, and Puljić again in the 74th. The game ended 0:3 for Rijeka.
Inter is currently in 8th place with 17 points while Rijeka is in third with 37.
Hajduk v. Lokomotiva (2:1)
Hajduk and Lokomotiva closed out the 20th round on Sunday, February 10, 2019, at Poljud stadium.
Hajduk and Lokomotiva met for the highly anticipated match of the 20th round, and it was also the first time fans were allowed back at Poljud in 126 days. In front of over 17,000 spectators, which made up more than 80% of all spectators in the 20th round, Hajduk was the first to score with a goal by Ismajli in the 42nd minute.
1:0 at the half, Lokomotiva came back to equalize with a goal by Uzuni in the 52nd minute, though Caktaš sealed the victory for Hajduk by scoring in the 63rd minute for 2:1.
Hajduk is currently in 6th place with 29 points, while Lokomotiva dropped to 4th with 34.
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