March 2, 2020 - The 24th round of the Croatian First League was held from February 27 to 29, 2020. In this round, Dinamo Zagreb stunned Rijeka with a 4:0 win, while Osijek and Hajduk played without goals at City Garden Stadium. 

Inter Zapresic v. Lokomotiva (0:2)

Inter and Lokomotiva opened the 24th round on Thursday, February 27, 2020, in Zapresic in front of 669 fans. 

Kastrati scored for Lokomotiva one minute before the half for the 0:1 lead, while Jakic increased Lokomotiva’s lead to 0:2 in the 69th minute, which was the final score of the game.

Inter is currently in 8th place with 17 points, while Lokomotiva is in 4th with 40.

Slaven Belupo v. Varazdin (0:0)

Belupo and Varazdin met in Koprivnica on Friday, February 28, 2020, in front of 873 fans.

Neither team was able to score throughout the game, which ended 0:0.

Belupo is currently in 7th place with 23 points, while Varazdin is in the last place with 16.

Gorica v. Istra 1961 (3:0)

Gorica and Istria met in Velika Gorica on Friday, February 28, 2020, in front of 791 spectators. 

The first half went without goals, and Gorica scored all three in the second - Dvornekovic in the 57th, Maslowski in the 80th, and Lovric in the 4th minute of injury time for the final score of 3:0.

Gorica is currently in 6th place with 34 points, while Istra is in 8th with 17.

Osijek v. Hajduk (0:0)

Osijek and Hajduk met on Saturday, February 29, 2020, at City Garden Stadium in front of 6,593 fans. 

Neither team was able to score throughout the game, though Hajduk had more chances in the end. The game ended at 0:0. 

Osijek is currently in 5th place with 39 points, while Hajduk is in 2nd with 45.

Dinamo Zagreb v. Rijeka (4:0)

Dinamo and Rijeka closed out the 24th round on Saturday, February 29, 2020, at Maksimir Stadium in front of 5,497 fans. 

Ademi opened the scoring spree for Dinamo in the first minute of the game, a record this season, for 1:0 at the half.

Dinamo didn’t increase their lead until the 81st minute when Kadzior scored for 2:0. Orsic made it 3:0 in the 85th, and Gojak made it 4:0 in the third minute of injury time.

Dinamo is currently in first place with 59 points, while Rijeka is in 3rd with 41.

You can see the full HNL table here.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

February 26, 2020 - Gorica introduced the successor of Sergej Jakirović, who was sacked as coach after Hajduk won 6:0 at Poljud. Valdas Dambrauskas is the new coach of Gorica.

Gol.hr reports that Croatian First League club Gorica on Tuesday unveiled a new coach, 43-year-old Lithuanian Valdas Dambrauskas, who succeeded Sergej Jakirović.

Valdas Dambrauskas novi je trener Gorice! Litavski stručnjak potpisao je ugovor do lipnja 2021. godine, a već u utorak poslijepodne poveo je momčad u prvi trening.
Valdas, welcome to Gorica! ?⚫️ pic.twitter.com/Ca7i8N8Y1G

— HNK Gorica (@hnkgorica) February 25, 2020

He began his solo coaching career at the Kingsbury London Tigers in the English Premier League and then led the Lithuanian cadet (U-17) and junior (U-19) national teams. This was followed by engagements at Lithuanian clubs: he led Ekranas Panevežys for one year and had three seasons at FK Žalgiris, with whom he won the Lithuanian championship twice. For the last three years, he has led the Latvian RFS from Riga.

"I know the ambitions of the club, and I worked with the current sports director of Gorica (Mindaugas Nikoličius) for three years in Žalgiris. I have watched Gorica several times and know that they have beat top Croatian teams such as Rijeka and Hajduk. The team has that potential and I want to get back on that path,” Dambrauskas said.

Gorica is currently sixth in the First HNL with 31 points. Until the end of the championship, there are 13 rounds left, with seven points separating Gorica from positions leading to Europe. Gorica has two draws and two defeats in the spring season, and suffered the worst defeat on Saturday since playing in the Croatian First League, losing 0-6 at Poljud to Hajduk. After that, coach Jakirović was fired.

“Sergej Jakirović is no longer the coach of Gorica as of today.

Our current coach has left the bench of our first team after 616 days at the helm. During this period, he led Gorizia in 61 official games. We want to thank Sergei for all that he has done for Gorica,” the club wrote on their Facebook page on Monday.

Sergej Jakirović od danas više nije trener Gorice.
Naš dosadašnji trener otišao je s klupe naše prve momčadi nakon 616 dana u ulozi šefa stručnog stožera. U tom razdoblju vodio je Goricu u 61 službenoj utakmici. Ovim putem zahvaljujemo Sergeju na svemu što je učinio za Goricu ❤️ pic.twitter.com/mZ7IdEPUzm

— HNK Gorica (@hnkgorica) February 24, 2020

Jakirović took over Gorica that summer after Ivan Prelec left for Poland.

Gorica then had standout players like Miya, Atiemwen, Zwolinski, who are no longer in the club. Some new players have arrived, though they have not been able to achieve the same chemistry.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.

February. 24, 2020 - The 23rd round of the Croatian First League was held from February 21 to 23, 2020. This round featured an unexpected Hajduk blowout against Gorica, while Rijeka topped Osijek in this weekend's derby.

Varazdin v. Lokomotiva (0:2)

Varazdin and Lokomotiv opened the 23rd round on Friday, February 21, 2020, in Varazdin in front of 1,787 fans.

Lokomotiva scored both goals in the first half thanks to Uzini (7’) and Karacic (38’). 

Varazdin is currently in the last place with 15 points, while Lokomotiva is in 5th with 37.

Hajduk v. Gorica (6:0)

Hajduk and Gorica met on Saturday, February 22, 2020, at Poljud stadium in front of 8,847 fans. 

Hajduk’s scoring spree starting in the 10th minute when Krekovic scored for 1:0. Jairo increased their lead in the 35th for 2:0, and Caktas made it 3:0 six minutes before the half. 

Caktas scored again for 4:0 in the 47th, and Jairo’s penalty made it 5:0 in the 56th. Eduok scored 8 minutes after being subbed in for the final score of 6:0.

Hajduk is currently in 2nd place with 44 points, while Gorica is in 6th with 31.

Rijeka v. Osijek (1:0)

Rijeka and Osijek met on Saturday, February 22, 2020, at Rujevica stadium.

Gorgon scored the only goal of the game in the 11th minute for the Rijeka lead. Osijek’s Skoric was given a red card in the final minute of regulation time, and the game ended 1:0.

Rijeka is currently in 3rd place with 41 points, while Osijek is in 4th with 38.

Dinamo v. Inter Zapresic (3:2)

Dinamo and Inter met on Sunday, February 23, 2020, at Maksimir stadium in front of 2,378 fans. 

Dinamo’s Leovac scored in the 6th minute to make it 1:0, though Bosec equalized just before the half to make it 1:1.

Kadzior helped Dinamo retake the lead in the 60th minute for 2:1, and Orsic missed a penalty in the 68th to keep the game at that score.

Gavranovic made up for the miss in the 72nd minute for 3:1, though Andric gave Inter their second goal in the first minute of injury time for a final score of 3:2.

Dinamo is currently in first place with 56 points, while Inter is in 8th with 17.

Istra 1961 v. Slaven Belupo (1:1)

Istra and Belupo closed out the 23rd round on Sunday, February 23, 2020, in Pula in front of 830 fans.

Paez scored for the Istra lead in the 4th minute, though Krstanovic equalized in the 33rd minute for 1:1, which was the final score of the game.

Istra is currently in 9th place with 16 points, while Belupo is in 7th with 22.

You can see the full HNL table here.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.

February 3, 2020 - The Croatian First Football League returned on Friday after a long winter break. Dinamo and Hajduk, currently first and second in the standings, both booked victories to open the spring season.

Inter Zapresic v. Istra 1961 (2:0)

Inter and Istra met on Friday, January 31, 2020, to open the spring season in Zagreb in front of 906 fans.

Thanks to two early goals for Inter in the 11th minute (Mitrovic) and an own goal in the 26th (Bosancic), Inter was not only 2:0 up at the half, but held their lead until the final whistle. 

Inter is currently in 8th place with 16 points, while Istra is in 9th with 12.

Lokomotiva v. Rijeka (2:1)

Lokomotiva and Rijeka met on Saturday, February 1, 2020, in Zagreb in front of 863 fans. 

Kastrati scored the first goal of the game to put Lokomotiva in the 1:0 lead at the half. Kastrati scored his second goal of the game in the 71st minute for 2:0. Rijeka’s Loncar came back with a goal in the 86th minute for the final score of 2:1.

Lokomotiva is currently in 5th place with 31 points, while Rijeka is in 4th with 34. 

Slaven Belupo v. Dinamo Zagreb (0:2)

Belupo and Dinamo met on Saturday, February 1, 2020, in Koprivnica in front of 2,323 fans. 

Dinamo’s first goal of the game came right before halftime when Ivanusec scored for 0:1. 

Petkovic increased Dinamo’s lead at the start of the second half for 0:2 in the 53rd minute, which was the final score of the game. 

Belupo is currently in 7th place with 18 points, while Dinamo is in 1st place with 50 points.

Varazdin v. Hajduk (0:3)

Varazdin and Hajduk met on Sunday, February 2, 2020, at NK Varteks Stadium in front of 5,043 fans.

After a missed penalty, Hajduk finally took the lead in the first half thanks to Jradi, who made the game 0:1 in the 42nd minute.

A penalty in the 72nd minute (Caktas) and another in the 4th minute of added time (Eduok) made the game 0:3 for Hajduk.

Varazdin is currently in the last place with 10 points, while Hajduk is in 2nd place with 38.

Gorica v. Osijek (0:0)

Gorica and Osijek closed out the 20th round on Sunday, February 2, 2020, in Velika Gorica in front of 689 fans.

Neither team was able to score and the game ended 0:0.

Gorica is currently in 6th place with 30 points, while Osijek is in 3rd with 34. 

You can see the full HNL table here.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

December 9, 2019 - The 18th round of the Croatian First League was held from December 6 to 8, 2019. A draw for Hajduk against Inter kept them in 2nd place, but pushed them to nine points behind Dinamo who sits in 1st. Rijeka is now just one point behind Hajduk in 3rd. 

Dinamo v. Varazdin (1:0)

Dinamo and Varazdin opened the 18th round on Friday, December 6, 2019, at Maksimir stadium in front of 1,471 spectators. 

While the first half went without goals, Dinamo narrowly won with a goal by Gavranovic in the 77th minute for 1:0. 

Dinamo is currently in 1st place with 41 points, while Varazdin is in 9th place with 12 points. 

Gorica v. Slaven Belupo (2:0)

Gorica and Belupo met in Velika Gorica on Saturday, December 7, 2019.

Belupo’s Goda saw a straight red card in the 9th minute, forcing the away side to play with a man down for nearly the entire game. Gorica found it easy to capitalize on their player advantage and scored both goals in the 18th and 34th minute thanks to Zwolinski and Lovric. 

A double yellow for Ndiaye in the 53rd minute equaled the playing field, though neither team was able to score in the second half. 

Gorica is currently in 6th place with 28 points, while Belupo is in 7th with 18.

Inter Zapresic v. Hajduk (1:1)

Inter and Hajduk met in Zagreb on Saturday, December 7, 2019, in front of 1,620 fans. 

An own goal by Hajduk’s Simic in the 26th minute put Inter in the lead for 1:0, though Eduok was able to equalize for Hajduk to make the game 1:1 at the half, which was also the final score of the game.

Inter is currently in the last place with 12 points, while Hajduk is in 2nd with 32. 

Osijek v. Lokomotiva (4:0)

Osijek and Lokomotiva met at City Garden Stadium on Sunday, December 8, 2019, in front of 1,533 spectators. 

While the first half went without goals, Osijek made up for their absence in the net in the second half, scoring all four goals then (Maric 55’, Pilj 78’, Kleinheisler 82’, Bockaj 92’). 

Lokomotiva’s Kastrati was also given his second yellow of the game in the 62nd minute 

Osijek is currently in 4th place with 30 points, while Lokomotiva is in 5th with 28. 

Rijeka v. Istra 1961 (2:0)

Rijeka and Istra closed out the 18th round at Rujevica on December 8, 2019,in front of 4,675 spectators. 

An own goal by Galilea put Rijeka in the lead in the 15th minute, while Muric increased the lead for the home side with a goal in the 27th.

Rijeka is currently in 3rd place with 31 points, while Istra is in 8th with 12. 

You can see the full HNL table here. 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

December 6, 2019 - The Croatian Football Federation (HNS) has fulfilled all obligations required to start using the VAR (Video Assistant Referee) system in Croatian football.

The Croatian Football Federation has completed all activities and referee training to introduce VAR technology into Croatian football, which is funded through the FIFA Forward program.

Namely, eleven Assistant Video Referees (VARs), thirteen Assistant VARs (AVARs), sixteen VAR Match Referees and five technicians have been trained.

Ante Kulušić, President of the HNS Football Referees Commission and VAR Project Manager for Croatia, submitted all final documentation, including a competition permission request to the International Football Federation Board (IFAB) and the World Football Federation (FIFA).

This fulfills all the obligations of the Croatian Football Federation necessary to start using the VAR technology in Croatian football.

"Congratulations to all who have participated in this challenging and extensive project and thanks to the Croatian Football Federation and Fifa for their great support. A lot of resources, effort and time have been put into the training, and we look forward to a positive IFAB response and the go-ahead to use VAR, as announced, from the spring part of the Croatian championship,” said Kulušić, who is also the vice president of HNS.

Recall, back in May this year, selected referees underwent complex training under the watchful eye of IFAB, an independent regulatory body that determines the Laws of the Game of association football, so that VAR would be ready to use in Croatian football in a year. 

"VAR technology is the most important and fastest revolution in modern football. It was used for the first time in 2016 and has been used in the most important games of the 2018  World Cup. Our vision for VAR technology and video aids is as little interference in the game as possible," IFAB Technical Director and former English football referee David Elleray said at the presentation of VAR technology in Sesvete then. 

All involved in this project agreed; the introduction of VAR technology is the most demanding project of HNS. Disagreements with referees, which have hovered over the Federation for years, generated many affairs that would have been minimized by introducing VAR.

The VAR room will include only the VAR Chief Referee, AVAR or Assistant Referee, and VAR Technician. 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

October 28, 2019 - The 13th round of the Croatian First League was held from October 25 to 27, 2019. This round featured the derby between Dinamo and Osijek and another Rijeka loss to Gorica. However, perhaps most exciting was watching Hajduk score a bizarre goal against Slaven Belupo, which even caught the attention of international media. 

Varazdin v. Inter Zapresic (0:1)

Varazdin and Inter opened the 13th round on Friday, October 25, 2019, at NK Varteks Stadium in front of 1,473 fans. 

A penalty awarded to Inter in the 31st minute, which decided the fate of the game after Serderov scored for 0:1. A double yellow for Varazdin’s Lisakovich in the 46th minute didn’t help the home team’s chances of equalizing, and the game ended 0:1. 

Varazdin is currently in 9th place with 10 points, while Inter is in 7th with 11. 

Hajduk v. Slaven Belupo (2:0)

Hajduk and Belupo met at Poljud on Saturday, October 26, 2019, in front of 9,045 spectators. 

Hajduk’s first goal came in the 14th minute thanks to Jairo for 1:0 at the half. However, the second goal royally embarrassed Belupo. After Belupo celebrated a goal that never was (because the ball hit the post), Hajduk capitalized on the counter-attack, and Juranovic found himself one-on-one with an empty net… because the Belupo keeper was still on the sideline celebrating. You can watch the fiasco in the video below. 

Hajduk is currently in 2nd place with 27 points, while Belupo is in the last with 10. 

Rijeka v. Gorica (1:2)

Rijeka and Gorica met at Rujevica Stadium on Saturday, October 26, 2019, in front of 4,117 spectators. 

While the first half went without goals, it was Gorica’s Zwolinski to score for 0:1, though Tomecak equalized for 1:1 in the 82nd minute. Gorica took advantage of a Rijeka red card in the 90th minute, and Dvornekovic increased Gorica’s lead to 1:2, which was the final score of the game. 

Rijeka is currently in 3rd place with 22 points, while Gorica is in 6th with 18. 

Istra 1961 v. Lokomotiva (0:2)

Istra and Lokomotiva met in Pula on Sunday, October 27, 2019. 

While the first half went without goals, Tolic scored for the Lokomotiva lead in the 85th minute, and Tuci increased their lead in the second minute of injury time for 0:2. 

Istra is currently in 8th place with 10 points, while Lokomotiva is in 5th place with 19.

Dinamo v. Osijek (1:0)

Dinamo and Osijek closed out the 13th round on Sunday, October 28, 2019, at Maksimir stadium in Zagreb. 

The only goal of the game came in the 42nd minute when Kadzior scored for 1:0. 

Dinamo is currently in 1st place with 28 points, while Osijek is in 4th with 20. 

You can see the HNL table here. 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

September 23, 2019 - The 9th round of the Croatian First League was held from September 20 to 22, 2019. The 9th round brought a big upset to Dinamo, saw the coaches of Rijeka and Osijek leave their posts, and Hajduk now sits clear in first place by 3 points. 

Lokomotiva v. Osijek (2:1)

Lokomotiva and Osijek opened the 9th round on Friday, September 20, 2019, at Kranjčevićeva Street Stadium. 

While Osijek’s Maric scored in the 7th minute for 0:1, Halilovic equalized for Lokomotiva in the 37th minute for 1:1 at the half. 

Tolic increased Lokomotiva’s lead for 2:1 in the 88th minute, giving Lokomotiva the win in the end. 

Lokomotiva is currently in 4th place with 14 points, while Osijek is in 5th with 13. 

Slaven Belupo v. Gorica (2:0)

Belupo and Gorica met in Koprivnica on Saturday, September 21, 2019. 

Steenvoorden put Belupo in the lead with an own goal in the 29th minute for 1:0 at the half. After Cabraja was shown a red card in the 85th minute, Belupo’s Krstanovic scored a penalty to increase the lead to 2:0, which was how the game ended. Gorica ended the game with nine men after Lovric was shown a second yellow in the 91st. 

Belupo is currently in 7th place with 10 points, while Gorica is in 6th with 10. 

Varazdin v. Dinamo Zagreb (1:0)

Varazdin and Dinamo met in Varazdin on Saturday, September 21, 2019. 

After a shocking 4:0 win against Atalanta to open their Champions League season, Dinamo suffered a defeat in the Croatian League to a team that was promoted from the second division this season. 

While the first half went without goals, Guera scored for Varazdin in the 62nd minute, which was the final score of the game. 

Varazdin has moved from the last place to 9th place with 7 points,  while Dinamo is in second with 16. 

Hajduk v. Inter Zapresic

Hajduk and Inter met at Poljud on Sunday, September 22, 2019. 

In addition to celebrating 40 years of Poljud, Hajduk celebrated another win. 

Caktas put Hajduk in the lead with a penalty in the 41st minute for 1:0 at the half. The second half saw two goals in three minutes - Stanko Juric scored for 2:0 Hajduk just moments after he entered the game, which was followed by Serderov’s goal for Inter. 

In the 86th minute, Jairo scored for 3:1 Hajduk, which was the final score of the game. 

Hajduk currently sits in first place with 19 points, while Inter is in the last place with 6. 

Istra v. Rijeka

Istria and Rijeka closed out the 9th round on Sunday, September 22, 2019, in Pula. 

Franko Andrijasevic scored for Rijeka already in the 6th. Minute, which was followed by a Loncar goal in the 45th for 0:2 at the half. Ivancic saw two yellow cards in the first half, forcing Istria to play a man down for the remainder of the game. 

Muric increased Rijeka’s lead to 0:3 in the 77th minute, which was the final score of the game. 

Istria is currently in 8th place with 8 points, while Rijeka moved into third place with 15 points. 

You can see the full HNL table here.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.  

The defeat to Lokomotiva has ruled the fate of the now-former coach of Osijek, Dino Skender. 

Gol.hr reports that Dino Skender is no longer the coach of NK Osijek! The news was announced by Osijek club president Ivan Meštrović via the club's YouTube channel on Saturday. 

"I, as president, have to make moves that are sometimes popular, sometimes less popular. In my discussion with him, he actually initiated the fact that he would no longer be the coach of the Osijek first team,” said the president of the club. 

"Weird energy started to swirl in and around the club. This year we played 11 games, we outplayed our opponent both statistically and impressively, but unfortunately, the result in the championship does not indicate that,” said Mestrovic.

Osijek has played nine games in the Croatia First League and two in Europe, and has only recorded four wins in those matches. In the second round of the Europa League qualifiers, in the return match, CSKA Sofia went further after a better penalty shootout.

What particularly disturbed Mestrovic is the club's unfortunate scoring effect in the Croatian championship. Namely, Osijek has 13 points after nine rounds (with five games played at home and four away), with only three victories, the last of which was achieved almost a month ago.

Next week, the name of Skender's successor will be known, and in the next seven days, Osijek will have two exams - Tuesday, as part of the first round of the Croatian Cup when they will visit Vuteks Sloga in Vukovar, and next Saturday in the Croatian Championship against Slaven Belupo in Koprivnica.

This news comes after another shock in the Croatian First League on Saturday after Dinamo Zagreb lost to Varazdin - a team that has spent most of their time in the last place and was promoted from the Second League this season. 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

After months of training, the VAR football technology will be used for the first time in Croatia on September 22, 2019.

Namely, the Croatian Football Federation announced at the end of 2018 that it would begin the training of assistant video referees and prepare for the introduction of VAR technology into Croatian football. After the extensive training of referees, VAR technology is finally ready to premiere at an official match, announced HNS on Friday.

Ante Kulušić, HNS Vice-President, President of the Football Refereeing Commission, and project leader for the introduction of VAR technology in Croatia, announced that the VAR technology would premiere at the Junior Croatian First League game between Rudeš and Hajduk. The match will be played on September 22 at Kranjčevićeva Street Stadium, starting at 11 am.

With this match, Croatia will open the final phase of training referees for the introduction of VAR technology, according to the schedule prescribed by FIFA and IFAB. Referees began training for VAR technology in January 2019, with plans that by the end of the autumn part of the current season, all referees who have reached the final stage of the education will meet the required conditions, so that they can begin using the VAR technology in the spring part of the season in matches of the Croatian First League.

The match between the juniors of Rudeš and Hajduk will be refereed by Ivan Bebek, with assistant referees Ivica Modrić and Igor Križarić and fourth official Fran Jović. The role of the Assistant Video Referee (VAR) will be performed by Goran Gabrilo, and his Assistant (AVAR) will be Miro Grgić.

The VAR technology project was funded by the FIFA program Forward.

The VAR is system/concept reviews decisions made by the head referee with the use of video footage and a headset for communication. The 2018 World Cup was the first tournament to use VAR at all matches and in all venues. 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow. TCN’s dedicated page.