December 6, 2021 - The 18th round of the Croatian First League was held from December 4 to 6, 2021. This round saw Hajduk win the 'Eternal Derby' against Dinamo, while Osijek and Gorica drew, and Istra and Belupo will close out the round tonight. Here is our HNL round 18 recap (so far).
Gorica v. Osijek (1:1)
Gorica and Osijek opened the 18th round on Saturday, December 4, 2021, in Velika Gorica in front of 673 fans.
Prsir scored for the Gorica lead in the 6th minute, which they maintained until the 3rd minute of stoppage time when Osijek's Hiros scored for 1:1 at the half. Kleinheisler was booked for his second yellow in the 61st minute, forcing Osijek to play with a man down for the remainder of the match.
Gorica is currently in 5th place with 26 points, while Osijek is in 2nd with 35 (and one game less).
Rijeka v. Hr. Dragovoljac (4:1)
Rijeka and Dragovoljac met at Rujevica Stadium on Saturday, December 4, 2021.
Rijeka's scoring spree started in the 16th minute when Obregon found the back of the net for 1:0. Muric increased Rijeka's lead to 2:0 in the 44th minute. Muric scored again in the 47th minute to increase Rijeka's lead to 3:0, but Petkovic gave Dragovoljac some hope with a goal in the 67th minute for 3:1. Muric secured his hattrick with his third goal in the 80th minute for the final 4:1.
Rijeka is currently in first place with 36 points (and one game less), while Dragovoljac is in last place with 7.
Lokomotiva and Sibenik (1:1)
Lokomotiva and Sibenik met in Zagreb on Sunday, December 5, 2021.
Gorican put Lokomotiva in the lead in the 39th minute with a goal for 1:0 at the half. Curic equalized for Sibenik in the 66th minute for 1:1. which was the final score.
Lokomotiva is currently in 6th place with 23 points, while Sibenik is in 7th with 19.
Dinamo v. Hajduk (0:2)
Dinamo and Hajduk met in the 'Eternal Derby' on Sunday, December 5, 2021, in front of around 10,000 fans.
While the first half went without goals, Hajduk's king Marko Livaja chipped Livakovic for 0:1 in the 60th minute. Then, Livaja assisted Sahiti at the top of the box for a late-match screamer in the 4th minute of stoppage time and the final 0:2 for Hajduk.
Dinamo is currently in 4th place with 31 points (and two games less), while Hajduk is in 3rd with 34 (and one game less).
Istra 1961 v. Slaven Belupo - December 6, 2021, at 18:00.
Istra and Belupo will close out the 18th round on Monday evening. Istra is currently in 8th place with two games behind, while Belupo is in 9th place with one game behind. We will update this article once the match finishes.
You can see the HNL standings HERE.
To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.
