December 1, 2021 - The Croatian Cup quarterfinals came to an end on Wednesday as Osijek topped Slaven Belupo on penalties and Rijeka knocked out Dinamo 3:1 at Maksimir to secure their spots in the semifinals. 

Osijek became the third semifinalist of this season's Croatian Cup on Wednesday, beating Slaven Belupo 5:4 on penalties after no goals were scored in 120 minutes at City Garden Stadium. 

Although there were no goals, this quarterfinal match was full of events, as both teams missed a penalty during regulation time and both finished the match with 10 players in extra time. 

In the 94th minute, Žaper received a direct red card, and in the 108th minute, Kvržić was booked for his second yellow card. 

During the penalty shootout, Belupo was first to gain the advantage after Osijek captain Škorić shook the crossbar, but Goda missed immediately after. In the sixth round, Zirdum hit the crossbar, and Daku was precise for Osijek to push them into the top four.

Osijek thus joined Gorica and Hajduk, which reached the quarterfinals on Tuesday. Gorica beat Istra 1961 on penalties, and Hajduk defeated Lokomotiva 6-3 in Zagreb. 

Dinamo and Rijeka met in the last quarterfinal match at Maksimir on Wednesday. 

Obregon scored Rijeka's first goal in the 27th minute for the 0:1 lead. Josip Drmić scored three minutes later to make it 0:2 for Rijeka at the half. 

Dinamo couldn't score until the 73rd minute when Marko Tolić gave the home team hope for 1:2. 

Dinamo could not equalize even in the nearly 8 minutes of stoppage time added by the referee, and after putting in a last-minute effort, it was Rijeka to secure the last Croatian Cup semifinal spot with a goal in the 98th minute for 1:3. 

Rijeka, Gorica, Osijek, and Hajduk will fight in the Croatian Cup semifinals in the spring of 2022.

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November 30, 2021 - The first day of the Croatian Cup quarterfinals came to a close, with Gorica and Hajduk securing their spot in the semifinals!

Gorica was the first to qualify for the Croatian Cup semifinals, defeating Istria 1961 at home on penalties, 6-4 (2-2, 2-2). 

By the 96th minute, Istra had the semifinal match in their hands. With two goals, Beljo had Istra up 2-1, but in the last seconds, Kristijan Lovrić scored, and in the penalty shootout, the hero was Gorica goalkeeper Dominik Kotarski, who stopped two shots.

Assisted by Serderov, Beljo put Istra in the lead in the 10th minute. Dieye equalized in the 2nd minute of stoppage time for 1-1 at the half. 

Dieye tried increased Gorica's lead in the 68th minute though his goal was called offside thanks to VAR. Beljo put Istra back in the lead for 1-2 in the 83rd minute. 

A last-minute equalizer came for Gorica when hero Lovrić scored in the 6th minute of stoppage time to send the match to extra time. 

VAR canceled another Gorica goal in the 98th minute, and the match ultimately finished on penalties. Iličić and Silva were stopped by the Gorica keeper, giving Gorica the penalty shootout victory and semifinal spot. 

In the wild second quarterfinal match, Hajduk topped Lokomotiva 6-3 in Zagreb. 

Krovinović gave Hajduk the early lead with a goal in the 7th minute for 0-1. A penalty was awarded to Lokomotiva which Pivarić nailed in the 3rd minute of stoppage time for 1-1 at the half. 

The second half was one to remember. Atanasov nailed the far post from the goal line in the 51st minute for 1-2, which Ljubičić increased to 1-3 two minutes later. Livaja made it 1-4 for Hajduk in the 57th!

Dabro gave Lokomotiva some hope in the 59th minute with a goal for 2-4, but Atanasov increased Hajduk's lead to 2-5 with a rocket from 30 meters out for 2-5. Hajduk's goal in the 71st minute was called offside by VAR, but Sahiti's goal in the 90th minute made it 6-2 for the Split club. 

An own goal by Elez gave Lokomotiva their third goal of the match in the 4th minute of stoppage time for the final 3-6, and Hajduk has comfortably booked their spot in the semifinal. 

Osijek and Slaven Belupo will meet Wednesday at 4 pm, and Dinamo and Rijeka at 6:30 pm.

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October 29, 2021 - The Croatian Cup quarterfinal draw was held today, revealing some exciting meetings on December 1. 

When Rijeka and Oriolik play the remaining round of 16 match next month, we will know the final list of Croatian Cup quarterfinalists. However, the matchups have been revealed today in a draw for the quarterfinal games on December 1, reports Gol.hr.

The biggest news is that Dinamo has been drawn against Oriolik / Rijeka. Therefore, Dinamo will play at home, most likely against Rijeka, which will be a real treat after the intense championship matches between these two clubs this season.

Twice this season, Dinamo and Rijeka played 3:3, which makes this Cup meeting even more special. But, of course, Dinamo and Rijeka will meet only if Oriolik does not pull an upset. 

Dinamo and Hajduk also play at Maksimir that weekend in the Croatian championship, meaning that the HNL match could easily be postponed for some time in the spring.

Hajduk and Lokomotiva will meet once again in Zagreb. The match is scheduled for December 1, and it will be the 19th consecutive Cup match that Hajduk will play against Lokomotiva away.

In addition to the 2018 final match that was played in Vinkovci, this means that Hajduk did not play a total of 20 Cup games at Poljud stadium.

Hajduk played its last home game in the Cup five and a half years ago, or in March 2016 in the semifinal match against Dinamo.

It should also be said that Hajduk could not even host until the round of 16 due to the rules because the hosts are always lower-ranked clubs. As for the quarterfinal draw, this is now the seventh time in a row that it has gone to the away team. 

Quarterfinal matches (December 1):

Dinamo - Oriolik/Rijeka

Lokomotiva – Hajduk

Osijek - Slaven Belupo

Gorica - Istra 1961

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October 27, 2021 - Dinamo, Gorica, Istra 1961, and Lokomotiva are the latest Croatian clubs to advance to the Croatian Cup quarterfinals. 

Dinamo secured a spot in the Croatian Cup quarterfinals. After a lot of trouble, the Blues defeated the leading team of the 2nd HNL BSK 3:2 away in Bijelo Brdo.

The Zagreb club took a quick lead in the second minute of the match thanks to Amir Gojak. However, BSK's Mory Gbane equalized in the 33rd minute.

Two minutes later, Josip Čikvar scored for 2:1 BSK after a mistake by Dinamo goalkeeper Vladimir Zagorec.

However, Dinamo equalized in the 39th minute thanks to Komnen Andrić, and Mislav Oršić brought Dinamo the victory in the 71st minute. 

Gorica also advanced to the Croatian Cup quarterfinals after beating Mladost Ždralovi 2:0 in the round of 16.

Vlatko Stojanovski scored for Gorica in the 41st minute and Martin Šroler in the 60th for the final 2:0. 

Istria 1961 also reached the quarterfinals after beating Rudar 3:2 in the round of 16 in Labin.

It was the 'Istrian Derby' where the victory went to the Pula club, although Rudar offered excellent resistance.

Istra took the lead in the 6th minute with a goal by Drena Beljo, but the 3rd division team turned the score around with goals by Tina Licul (32') and Lorenzo Boucaux (52)'.

Beljo equalized with his second goal in the 70th minute, and Serder Serderov brought Istra the victory seven minutes later for the final 3:2.

Lokomotiva defeated Varaždin in the final Wednesday match for the Croatian Cup quarterfinals, winning 3:2 in Varaždin. 

Lokomotiva led from the 6th minute when Aliyu scored for 0:1. Varaždin equalized in the 22nd minute when Stolnik cheated Nevistić with his head.

In the 28th minute, Stolnik pulled Aliyu by the hand, and Pivarić scored for 1:2 Lokomotiva. 

Varaždin opened the second half a bit better and equalized thanks to Postonjski in the 49th minute. However, Kacavenda's goal in the 72nd minute allowed Lokomotiva to retake the lead and ultimately the win. 

Hajduk, Osijek, and Slaven Belupo advanced to the quarterfinals on Tuesday. Rijeka and Oriolik will play the final round of 16 match on November 13. 

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October 26, 2021 - The Croatian Cup quarterfinals began on Tuesday, with the first teams securing their spot in the next round of the competition. 

Osijek was the first to advance to the Croatian Cup quarterfinals, topping second division team Rudeš 2:0 (0:0) in Zagreb.

After a more reserved first half, Osijek increased the tempo in the second half and deservedly won. The goals were scored by Ivan Fiolić and Ramon Mierez in the second half. Osijek coach Nenad Bjelica can be satisfied because Argentine Mierez scored after a long time. 

Hajduk advanced to the Cup quarterfinals with a convincing 5:1 (2:1) away victory against the third division team Belišće.

The triple scorer for Hajduk was Marko Livaja (4', 56', 68'), two goals were added by Marin Ljubičić (35', 58'), while the only goal for the home team was scored by Silvio Anočić (5').

Hajduk's second goalkeeper Danijel Subašić had his first appearance in an official match after almost two years. The former Croatia goalkeeper and 2018 World Cup finalist last stood in goal in an official match for Monaco in December 2019, playing against Lille. His last official appearance for Hajduk before this was in December 2011.

After Osijek and Hajduk, Slaven Belupo also qualified for the Croatian Cup quarterfinals. 

In the only round of 16 match between two first league teams, the Koprivnica club beat Šibenik at Šubićevac after a penalty shootout (1:1, 6:4).

The game was 1:1 in the first 120 minutes of play, thanks to two penalties. Belupo took the lead in the 68th minute (Krstanović), while Ćurić equalized for the hosts in the 92nd minute. Belupo showed more skill on penalties, scored all five shots from the penalty spot, and advanced to the quarterfinals 6:4 (1:1).

BSK - Dinamo, Gorica - Mladost Ždralovi, Rudar Labin - Istra 1961, and Varaždin - Lokomotiva will play on Wednesday, while Oriolik and Rijeka will play on November 13.

The quarterfinal draw will be held on Friday.

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March 16, 2021 - After the Croatian Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday, Istra 1961 and Gorica advance to the semifinals against Rijeka and Dinamo. 

Istra 1961 advanced to the Croatian Cup semifinals after defeating the third division Oriolik from Oriovac 3-0 (0-0). Two goals were scored by Japanese player Taichi Hara (61, 86), while Mario Živatović scored an own goal in the 89th minute.

In the small town of Oriovac, halfway between Gradiška and Slavonski Brod, Istra reached the semifinals of the Cup in tough playing conditions - rain, wind, and a sloppy pitch. 

Third division club Oriolik, for whom this is the greatest success in its 98 years, dominated in the first half. In the first nine minutes, Batalo and Marušić missed nearly guaranteed chances to score.

A penalty came in the 61st minute when Hara escaped from offside and scored for the Istra lead. Hara scored again in the 86th minute, and the final 3-0 was the work of Oriolik's Živatović, who scored an own goal in the 89th minute.

In the second quarterfinal on Tuesday, Gorica topped Hajduk 3-0 in Velika Gorica. Gorica and Hajduk also played just three days ago in the HNL, which ended 1:1

Kristijan Lovrić was Gorica's hero, scoring an early goal in the 9th minute for 1-0 at the half. Lovrić scored his second goal of the match for 2-0 in the 83rd minute, while Nimely made it 3-0 in the final minute of regulation time. Ivan Dolček scored for Hajduk in the 60th minute but it was called offside. 

Advancing to the Cup semis is Gorica's greatest achievement in club history.

In the other quarterfinal matches played at the beginning of the month, Rijeka celebrated at Osijek (2-1) and Dinamo at home against Slaven Belupo (2-0). 

In the semifinals, Gorica will play against Dinamo at Maksimirr, and Istra 1961 will host Rijeka in Pula.

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March 3, 2021 - The first two rounds of the Croatian Cup quarterfinals were held on Wednesday. Rijeka and Dinamo are the first two Croatian clubs to secure their spot in the semifinals. 

The current Croatian Cup titleholders celebrated 2:1 on the road against Osijek in the first quarterfinal match of this year's Croatian Cup.

Rijeka's Robert Murić scored the leading goal in the 7th minute for 1:0. Osijek equalized in the 14th minute thanks to captain Mile Škorić. In the 35th minute, Rijeka goalkeeper Nevistić saved Mierez's penalty. The winning goal for Rijeka was scored again by Murić from a penalty kick in the 71st minute.

Slobodan Kadic

In his first game on the Rijeka bench, Goran Tomić came to victory and took the defending champions to the semifinals.

This was the first time Nenad Bjelica's Osijek were defeated at City Garden Stadium. The match at City Garden Stadium was reffed by Mario Zebec. 

Dinamo and Slaven Belupo met in the second quarterfinal match at 5 pm at Maksimir, only three days after Dinamo won against Belupo 3:0 at the same stadium. 

Dinamo coach Zoran Mamić rested goalkeeper Dominik Livaković and defender Rasmus Lauritsen this match, instead giving a chance to Mario Gavranović, Marko Tolić, and Lirim Kastrati. 

While the first half ended 0:0, a Dinamo penalty scored by Bruno Petkovic in the 70th minute helped the Zagreb club turn the game around. Captain Arijan Ademi scored eight minutes later for 2:0, which was the final score of the game. 

Recall, Gorica v Hajduk and Oriolik v Istra 1961 will play their quarterfinal round matches on March 16 and 17, 2021. Hajduk secured the last quarterfinal spot on Tuesday after beating Zagreb 3:0 at Veslačka Street Stadium in Zagreb.

The semi-final matches are scheduled for March 31, and the final will be played on May 19, 2021. 

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