January 22, 2023 - The SuperSport HNL finally returned after a long winter break, with Croatian clubs back in action from Friday, January 20 to Sunday, January 22. The 18th round brought some unexpected results, making the race for the title interesting as we kicked off the second part of the season.
Istra 1961 v. Slaven Belupo (0:0)
Istra 1961 and Slaven Belupo opened the 18th round on Friday, January 20, 2023, in Pula, in front of 557 fans.
The match went without goals, while Istra held more possession (61%) with 15 total shots to Beluop's 5. Istra also had six shots on target to Belupo's 0.
Istra is currently in 6th place with 21 points and a game in hand, while Belupo is in 4th with 27.
Osijek v. Rijeka (1:1)
Osijek and Rijeka met on Saturday, January 21, 2023, at a snowy City Garden Stadium in front of 2,082 fans.
The second draw of the 18th round at least featured some goals. Spoljaric scored for the Osijek lead in the 9th minute. Frigan equalized from the penalty spot in the 38th minute for 1:1. Osijek's goal in the 89th minute was called offside thanks to VAR, and the match ended 1:1. Osijek held 49% of possession to Rijeka'ss 51%, with four shots on target compared to Rijeka's 3.
Osijek is currently in 3rd place with 31 points, while Rijeka is in 8th with 16.
Dinamo v. Gorica (0:0)
Dinamo and Gorica met in the second game on Saturday, January 21, 2023, in front of 3,568 fans who also had to brave the snow.
Not only was this the third draw of the 18th round, but yet another one without goals. Dinamo's goal in the 2nd minute was disallowed due to a foul after consulting VAR. Neither team was able to score for the rest of the match. Dinamo maintained 80% of possession throughout the game compared to Gorica's 20%. Both teams had three shots on target.
Dinamo is currently in 1st place with 42 points and a game in hand, while Gorica is in last place with 9 points.
Hajduk v. Sibenik (2:1)
Hajduk and Sibenik met at Poljud on Sunday, January 22, 2023, in front of 9,358 fans.
Sibenik took the lead in the 13th minute when Arai scored for 0:1. Kalik equalized for Hajduk just before halftime for 1:1. Livaja saved the day in the 85th minute with a goal for 2:1, the final result. Hajduk had 70% possession throughout the match compared to Sibenik's 30%. Hajduk also had seven shots on target compared to Sibenik's one.
Hajduk is currently in 2nd place with 38 points, while Sibenik is 9th with 13 points.
Varazdin v. Lokomotiva (0:0)
Varazdin and Lokomotiva closed out the 18th round on Sunday, January 22, 2023, in front of 785 fans.
The final draw of the 18th round also saw no goals. However, it was a close match, with Varazdin maintaining 48% of possession compared to Lokomotiva's 52%. Varazdin had four shots on target compared to 5 for Lokomotiva.
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Varazdin is currently in 5th place with 24 points, while Lokomotiva is in 7th with 19.
You can check out the HNL table HERE.
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