April 9, 2019 - The 27th and 28th rounds of the Croatian First League was held from April 2 to 8, 2019, for one very busy week of Croatian football.
27th Round
Gorica v. Lokomotiva (0:2)
Gorica and Lokomotiva kicked off the 27th round on April 2, 2019, in front of 1,194 spectators in Velika Gorica.
Lokomotiva’s Radonjić scored just before the half for 0:1. Gorica’s Miya was ejected in the 81st minute after a double yellow, and Radonjić scored again for Lokomotiva in the 84th minute to secure their away win.
Rijeka v. Slaven Belupo (2:0)
Rijeka and Belupo met on April 2, 2019, in front of 3,851 spectators at Rujevica stadium.
Rijeka’s Murić scored already in the 21st minute for 1:0, and Puljić scored in the 69th to confirm Rijeka’s home win.
Inter Zaprešić v. Osijek (1:3)
Inter and Osijek met in Zaprešić on April 3, 2019, in front of 250 fans.
Osijek’s Zaper was the first to score in the 4th minute for 0:1, though Inter’s Postonjski equalized in the 23rd for 1:1 at the half. Osijek retook the lead after Marić scored for 1:2 in the 81st and Pušić confirmed the Osijek win with a goal in the 91st.
Hajduk v. Dinamo (0:1)
The highlight of the 27th round was the ‘Eternal Derby’ between Hajduk and Dinamo, which was played at Poljud on Wednesday, April 3, 2019, in front of 26,664 fans.
It was a very even game between the eternal rivals, though a free kick awarded to Dinamo in the 26th minute saw Gavranović score for 0:1. Hajduk was unable to equalize in the second half, though they had their chances. Caktaš was given a red card in the 77th minute, forcing Hajduk to play with a man down for the rest of the game. The derby went without any major incidents.
Rudeš v. Istra 1961 (1:0)
Rudeš and Istria met at Kranjčevićeva street stadium to close out the 27th round on April 4, 2019.
Štrkalj scored a penalty for Rudeš in the 36th minute, which was enough to give them their second win of the season.
28th Round
Inter Zaprešić v. Lokomotiva (3:2)
Inter and Lokomotiva opened the 28th round on April 6, 2019, in Zaprešić in front of 151 fans.
Lokomotiva’s Jakić was first to score with a goal in the 6th minute for 0:1, though Inter equalized just six minutes later after Serderov scored for 1:1. Lokomotiva retook the lead just before the half after Ivanušec scored for 1:2.
Inter equalized in the 73rd minute when Muhar scored for 2:2, and Postonjski secured the win for Inter with a penalty in the 85th for 3:2 two minutes after Lokomotiva’s Mlinar was given a red card.
Inter is currently in 7th place with 27 points, while Lokomotiva is in 4th with 44.
Gorica v. Rijeka (1:0)
Gorica and Rijeka met in Velika Gorica on April 6, 2019, in front of 1,677 spectators.
While the first half went without goals, it was Gorica’s Lovrić to score in the 48th minute, which was the only goal of the game.
Gorica is currently in 6th place with 42 points, while Rijeka is in 2nd with 53.
Rudeš v. Dinamo (0:2)
Rudeš and Dinamo met on April 7, 2019, at Kranjčevićeva street stadium in front of 525 fans.
While the first half went without goals, Dinamo’s Majer scored at the start of the second half for 0:1. Olmo secured Dinamo’s lead with a goal in the 76th minute for 0:2.
Rudeš is currently in the last place with 10 points, while Dinamo is in first with 73.
Hajduk v. Osijek (0:0)
Hajduk and Osijek met at Poljud on April 7, 2019, in front of 7,862 fans.
The derby went without any goals, or any real excitement, though each side saw three yellow cards.
Hajduk is currently in 5th place with 44 points, while Osijek is in 3rd with 47.
Slaven Belupo v. Istra 1961 (3:3)
Belupo and Istra closed out the 28th round on April 8, 2019, in Koprivnica in front of 525 fans.
Belupo was first to score with a goal by Krstanović in the 12th minute. Laukzemis equalized for Istra in the 27th minute for 1:1 at the half.
Mateus scored for Belupo at the start of the second half for 2:1, followed by Vidović in the 64th for 3:1.
However, Istra came back - Fuentes scored in the 90th minute for 3:2, and Mierez scored a penalty in the 97th minute to equalize for 3:3.
Belupo is currently in 8th place with 26 points, while Istra is in 9th with 18.
You can see the full HNL table here.
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