September 28, 2021 - The 10th round of the Croatian First League was played from September 25 to 27, 2021. This round saw Rijeka edge out Gorica in a dramatic finish, while Osijek, Dinamo, and Hajduk recorded victories to keep the race for the top tight. Here's our HNL round 10 recap. 

Slaven Belupo v. Dinamo (1:4)

Slaven Belupo and Dinamo opened the 10th round on Saturday, September 25, 2021, in Koprivnica in front of 993 spectators. 

Juric scored Dinamo's first goal in the 23rd minute for 0:1, and Orsic increased their lead to 0:2 in the 44th. Petkovic made it 0:3 in the 50th minute, and Cop 0:4 in the 76th! Grgic scored Belupo's only goal of the match in the 80th minute for the final score of 1:4. 

Belupo is in 9th place with 6 points, while Dinamo is in 3rd with 19 (and two games less). 

Sibenik v. Osijek (0:2)

Sibenik and Osijek met on Saturday, September 25, 2021, in Sibenik in front of 746 spectators.  

Fiolic scored for the Osijek lead in the 18th minute, and Zaper scored in the 82nd for the final 0:2. 

Sibenik is currently in 7th place with 10 points, while Osijek is in 2nd with 19. 

Gorica v. Rijeka (3:4)

Gorica and Rijeka met on Sunday, September 26, 2021, in Velika Gorica in front of 1,000 spectators. 

Gorica took the lead with a goal by Lovric in the 12th minute. Abass equalized for Rijeka in the 43rd, and Marjanovic scored in the 3rd minute of injury time for 2:1 Gorica at the half. Selahi made it 2:2 in the 46th minute, and Gorica's Delfi was shown a red card in the 51st, forcing them to play with a man down for the remainder of the match. 

Muric scored a penalty for 2:3 Rijeka in the 58th minute, and Fruk equalized for Gorica in the 90th minute! Pavicic scored the winning goal one minute later for the final 3:4. 

Gorica is currently in 5th place with 13 points, while Rijeka is in 1st with 20 (and one game less).

Hajduk v. Lokomotiva (1:0)

Hajduk and Lokomotiva met on Sunday, September 26, 2021, at Poljud in front of 7,657 spectators. 

The match's only goal came in the 81st minute, thanks to a Livaja header for 1:0. 

Hajduk is currently in 4th place with 19 points (and one game less), while Lokomotiva is in 6th place with 11 (and one game less).

Hr. Dragovoljac v. Istra 1961 (0:1)

Dragovoljac and Istra closed out the 10th round on Monday, September 27, 2021, in front of 92 spectators. 

The only goal of the match came in the 20th minute, thanks to Drena Beljo. 

Dragovoljac is currently in the last place with 5 points, while Istra is in 8th with 10 (and one game less). 

You can see the full HNL table HERE.

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September 23, 2021 - The Croatian Cup round of 32 came to a close on Wednesday, September 22, and the last 16 Croatian clubs in the competition are known. The round of 16 will be played on October 27. 

The SuperSport Croatian Football Cup round of 32 came to an end on Wednesday, September 22, 2021, reports HNS.

Rijeka was the most convincing in their victory, winning 7:0 against Pitomača thanks to goals by Bušnja (4′), Vučkić (36′, 54′), Vuk (49′), Abass (71′, 90′), and Obregon (88′-11m).

The defending champion Dinamo defeated Orient 1919 away 4:1, with goals by Čop, Leovac, Jurić, and Menalo. 

Perhaps the most exciting match happened in Senj, where Gorica was losing to Nehaj at halftime and turned the match around in the second half for the final 7:3. Lovrić, Pršir, Mitrović, Svast (own goal), and Dieye scored the 7 goals for Gorica's return. 

Lokomotiva was nearly shocked by Dugopolje but ultimately won only after eight series of penalties.

Thanks to an early penalty kick, Hajduk was shocked by Primorac Biograd, who scored for the lead in the 12th minute. Fortunately, Krovinovic equalized in the 42nd minute, and Ljubicic scored the winning goal in the 60th minute. 

Osijek had no issue in Beletinec and was better than Bednja thanks to 3 goals by Čeberk, Bočkaj and Daku. 

The round of 16 will be played on October 27, and a clash between the first division teams, Šibenik and Slaven Belupo, is a highlight of the next round. 

Croatian Cup round of 32 results:

Pitomača - Rijeka 0:7
Orijent 1919 - Dinamo 1:4
Dugopolje - Lokomotiva 8:9 (1:1)
Bednja - Osijek 0:3
Primorac Biograd - Hajduk 1:2
Vuteks Sloga - Istra 1961 0:3
Karlovac 1919 - Slaven Belupo 0:2
Mladost Ždralovi - Inter Zaprešić 3:1
Nehaj - Gorica 3:7
Međimurje - Šibenik 0:1
Rudar Labin - Split 2:0
Belišće - Jaska Vinogradar 4:0
Bjelovar - Rudeš 1:5
Sesvete - Varaždin 2:3
BSK - Cibalia 1:0
Zagreb - Oriolik 0:1

Croatian Cup round of 16 pairs:

Oriolik - Rijeka
BSK - Dinamo
Varaždin - Lokomotiva
Rudeš - Osijek
Belišće - Hajduk
Rudar Labin - Istra 1961
Šibenik - Slaven Belupo
Gorica - Mladost Ždralovi

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September 22, 2021 - The Dinamo and Hajduk FIFA 22 player ratings are here ahead of the game's highly anticipated release on October 1!

The highly anticipated release of the most famous football video game in the world, FIFA 22, is almost here. The new edition also brings some novelties as far as Croatian football is concerned, reports Gol.hr.

For the first time since FIFA 99, Croatian first division team Hajduk will be in the game. Along with Hajduk, there is Dinamo, which has been a part of the video game for several years.

The new FIFA 22 will be released on October 1, but to hold us over until then, the next most important thing for gamers has been revealed - the footballers' ratings.

Dinamo

The Croatian champion has a respectable number of gold cards in the video game, as many as five. In addition, Dominik Livaković has the highest score among Croatian First League players - 82, which is an improvement of 1 compared to FIFA 21.

Behind Livaković is Mislav Oršić, who remained at 77, although he deserved a higher grade according to many. He did score three goals against Tottenham and found the back of the net at the Euros this summer, and that's just part of it. 

After Oršić is Ademi, who sits right behind with 76, followed by Petković (also 76), and Ristovski with 75. Of the other players, Luka Ivanušec is 74, Josisp Mišić 72, Kévin Théophile-Catherine 73, Rasmus Lauritsen 73, and Duje Čop 67.

Hajduk

FIFA was a bit tougher on the Hajduk players. The Split club has only one gold card, which, as expected, went to Marko Livaja, who received a score of 75. Filip Krovinović and Hungarian national Lovrencsics could have won the gold card without any problems, but they will have to wait for the second edition or play a game to remember for an improved card; the same goes for other Hajduk and Dinamo players.

Behind Livaja is Lovre Kalinić 73, Filip Krovinović 72, Josip Vuković 71, Gergő Lovrencsics and Nikola Katić with 70, David Čolina and Dimitris Diamantakos with 69, and Duje Biuk, Jan Mlakar and Josip Elez with 68.

With 17,000 players in more than 700 teams, 90 stadiums, and over 30 leagues, FIFA 22 brings unparalleled authenticity and the most comprehensive interactive football experience. FIFA 22 is the only place where you can play in cult competitions such as the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, the brand new UEFA Europa Conference League, Premier League, Bundesliga, LaLiga Santander, CONMEBOL Libertadores and CONMEBOL Sudamericana.

Enhanced by revolutionary HyperMotion technology, i.e., the integration of advanced motion recording of 22 professional footballers in a competitive match (11 vs. 11) and machine learning (knowledge from 8.7 million frames of advanced match recordings), FIFA 22 brings an ever more realistic football experience to all players' homes.

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September 20, 2021 - The 9th round of the Croatian First League was held from September 17 to 19, 2021. The 'Eternal Derby' between Hajduk and Dinamo at Poljud was postponed due to Dinamo's Europa League schedule, while Osijek's late-winner against Gorica saw the match end 3:2 at City Garden. Here is our HNL Round 9 recap. 

Hr. Dragovoljac v. Rijeka (2:2)

Dragovoljac and Rijeka opened the 9th round in Zagreb on Friday, September 17, 2021, in front of 420 spectators. 

Petković and Majstorović shocked Rijeka with a 2:0 lead by the 36th minute. Ampem got a goal back for Rijeka in the 57th minute for 2:1, and Pavičić equalized 3 minutes later for 2:2. Vuckic's goal was called offside in the final minute of regulation time, so the match ended in a draw. 

Dragovoljac is currently in last place with 5 points, while Rijeka is in 1st with 17 points (and one game less).

Slaven Belupo v. Istra 1961 (1:1)

Belupo and Istra met in Koprivnica on Saturday, September 18, 2021. 

The first half went without goals but saw Navarro receive a red card, forcing Istra to play with a man down from the 41st minute. Krstanovic scored a penalty at the start of the second half for the Belupo lead, but Perkovic equalized in the 5th minute of injury time for 1:1. 

Belupo is currently in 9th place with 6 points, while Istra is in 8th with 7 (and one game less). 

Šibenik v. Lokomotiva (2:1)

Šibenik and Lokomotiva met on Saturday, September 18, 2021, in Šibenik. 

Marin scored in the 5th minute for the early Šibenik lead, though Dabro scored a penalty in the 28th minute for 1:1 at the half. Marin scored his second goal of the match in the 77th minute for the 2:1 Šibenik win. 

Šibenik is currently in 7th place with 10 points, while Lokomotiva is in 6th with 11 (and one game less).

Osijek v. Gorica (3:2)

Osijek and Gorica closed out the 9th round at City Garden Stadium on Sunday, September 19, 2021. 

Kalik gave Gorica the lead in the 29th minute. Daku didn't equalize for Osijek until the 75th. Brodic put Gorica back in the lead 6 minutes later, and Daku equalized again for 2:2 in the 84th minute. Loncar gave Osijek the late-game winner in the 3rd minute of injury time for a final score of 3:2. 

Osijek is currently in 2nd place with 17 points, while Gorica is in 5th with 13. 

You can see the full HNL table HERE.  

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September 16, 2021 -  In the first round of the Europa League group stage, West Ham beats Dinamo 2:0 at Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb. 

Dinamo and West Ham met in the first round of the Europa League group stage on Thursday at Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb. Although the Croatian champion has much more experience in European competitions, West Ham's status as a solid Premier League club made them the favorite going into this match. 

Croatia national team player (and former Hajduk star) Nikola Vlašić was in West Ham's starting 11, while Bruno Petković and Mislav Oršić led Dinamo's attack. There were 12,344 spectators at the stadium, of which 859 were West Ham supporters. 

Lineups: 

Dinamo: Livaković - Šutalo, Lauritsen, Theophile-Catherine - Ristovski, Ademi, Mišić, Franjić - Ivanušec - Petković, Oršić

West Ham: Fabianski - Fredericks, Zouma, Diop, Cresswell - Rice, Souček - Vlašić, Lanzini, Fornals - Antonio

The first half was one to forget for the Croatian club and perhaps one of the worst halves they've played in Europe in the last few years. An unrecognizable Dinamo succumbed to West Ham's pressure and gave up two corners in the first 3 minutes of play. 

Dinamo's first attack didn't come until the 11th minute, and Petković and Ademi could not get past Fabianski. An Oršić shot from 30 meters out in the 20th minute almost gave Dinamo the lead, though a catastrophic mistake by Theophile-Catherine put West Ham in the lead instead. Theophile-Catherine weakly passed back to Livaković without realizing Antonio was there to score for 0:1. Livaković had to save Dinamo from another close encounter 3 minutes later. 

Dinamo struggled to find their game, and Vlašić nearly had a few chances for West Ham in the remainder of the half, but the match luckily ended 0:1 for West Ham at halftime. 

Dinamo picked up their pace at the start of the second half with an attacking play immediately in the first minute. But West Ham was quicker to increase their lead, and Declan Rice scored for 0:2 in the 51st minute.

Dinamo had a good chance 3 minutes later when Ivanušec's shot went out for a corner, and another chance again in the 60th, which just missed the goal. 

West Ham subbed out Vlašić for Bowen in the 69th minute.

Dinamo was lucky not to concede another goal in the 79th minute. Tolić pulled a counter-attack with Jurić in the 87th minute, though it was no tough task for Fabianski. 

Three minutes of injury time were added to the end of the match, which was not enough for Dinamo to get back a goal. The match ended 0:2 for West Ham. 

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September 14, 2021 - Dinamo Zagreb is preparing to welcome West Ham at Maksimir Stadium on Thursday to open the Europa League group stage. 

West Ham United is playing in Europe for the first time in five years. The English club played in the competition last when they were led by Slaven Bilić and were shockingly knocked out in the play-offs by Romanian club Astra Giurgiu, reports 24 Sata.

West Ham is in the group stage of the competition for the first time thanks to finishing sixth place in the Premier League last season.

And their first stop? Croatia.

Dinamo, their first group stage opponent, plays in the Europa League group stage for the 14th time in the last 15 seasons.

Nikola Vlašić (23) will once again play against Dinamo in the Europa League group stage. Recall, Vlašić met Dinamo when playing with CSKA Moscow last season and lost at Maksimir. He made his West Ham debut in the draw against Southampton last weekend (0-0).

Spaniard Pablo Fornals (25) knows it won’t be easy, even though the Hammers are favorites for bookmakers (odds 2.25 at West Ham and 3.10 at Dinamo).

"We are playing away. It will be a new experience for all of us, and I hope that we will make all West Ham fans proud," Fornals said for the official West Ham website.

Coach David Moyes has hinted that striker Michail Antonio, who is excluded from the league game and has no right to play against Manchester United at the weekend, will play in Zagreb.

"Will I try other options? He can’t play against United, and you can look at it in several ways. I don't want Mic to be without a game for a few weeks, he played a little for the national team, but I will think about it," said Moyes.

Dinamo captain Arijan Ademi (30), the club's record holder with 87 appearances in UEFA competitions, does not believe that it will be a one-way street.

"With a full stadium, with our fans, with their great support, we can repeat Tottenham. Clearly, I am an optimist; what an athlete I would be if I were not an optimist. We believed then that we could get past the Spurs, and that faith brought us that result," said the captain and continued:

"I appeal to our fans to give us the support they know against West Ham. It means a lot to us on the field; fan support is a big motivator. The louder our fans are, the higher our percentage for success. So I hope they will fill Maksimir."

The match starts at 18.45 on Thursday and will be refereed by Frenchman Ruddy Buquet (44), who refereed Dinamo in their victory against Ferencvaros in Budapest in 2019 (4-0) and was the fourth referee against Neftči in Zagreb in 2011 (3-0). He also refereed the Croatia national team in a draw against Azerbaijan in 2015 (0-0) and victory in Finland in 2016 (1-0).

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September 13, 2021 - The 8th round of the Croatian First League was played from September 10 to 12, 2021. This saw a Marko Livaja hattrick for the Hajduk win, while Dinamo and Rijeka celebrated victories at home. Here is our HNL round 8 recap. 

Gorica v. Hr. Dragovoljac (1:1)

Gorica and Dragovoljac opened the 8th round on Friday,  September 10, 2021, in Velika Gorica. 

While the first half went without goals, Gorica's Stojanovski scored the first goal of the match which was ruled offside by VAR in the 56th minute. Lovrić missed a penalty for Gorica 7 minutes later, but Babec scored a minute after that for the 1:0 Gorica lead. Strkalj equalized in the 74th minute for the final 1:1. 

Gorica is currently in 5th place with 15 points, while Dragovoljac is in the last place with 4. 

Dinamo v. Šibenik (2:0)

Dinamo and Šibenik met at Maksimir Stadium on Saturday, September 11, 2021. 

It was another match with a scoreless first half. Lauritsen scored for the Dinamo lead in the 68th minute, which Ivanušec increased to 2:0 10 minutes later. 

Dinamo is currently in 1st place with 16 points (and one game less), while Šibenik is in 7th with 7. 

Rijeka v. Slaven Belupo (2:1)

Rijeka and Slaven Belupo met at Rujevica Stadium on Saturday, September 11, 2021. 

After a 0:0 first half, Hadzic put Belupo in the lead in the 63rd minute. However, that didn't last long, as Drmić equalized for 1:1 in the 78th minute before scoring his second goal in the 85th minute for 2:1. 

Rijeka is currently in 3rd place with 16 points (and one game less), while Belupo is in 9th place with 5 points. 

Istra 1961 v. Hajduk (1:3)

Istra and Hajduk met in Pula on Sunday, September 12, 2021. 

The lack of goals in the first half was redeemed by Marko Livaja, who put Hajduk up 0:1 thanks to a penalty in the 51st minute. A second penalty was awarded to Hajduk 6 minutes later, which Livaja scored for 0:2. Livaja's hattrick came in the 74th minute for the 0:3 lead. Drena got one goal for Istra in the 87th minute for a final score of 1:3. 

Istra is currently in 8th place with 6 points (and one game less), while Hajduk is in 2nd with 16. 

Lokomotiva v. Osijek (1:1)

Lokomotiva and Osijek closed out the 8th round on Sunday, September 12, 2021. 

The match's first goal was scored in the 70th minute, thanks to Dabro for the Lokomotiva lead. A double-yellow for Fiolić forced Osijek to play with a man down from the 75th minute. Topcagic was able to equalize in the 3rd minute of added time for the final 1:1 draw. 

Lokomotiva is currently in 6th place with 11 points (and one game less), while Osijek is in 4th with 14. 

You can see the full HNL table HERE. 

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August 20, 2021 - The 7th round of the Croatian First League was held from August 27 to 29, 2021. This round featured Croatia's biggest derbies - Osijek v Dinamo, and Hajduk v Rijeka. Here's our HNL round 7 recap 

Slaven Belupo v. Hr Dragovoljac (0:1)

Belupo and Dragovoljac opened the 7th round on Friday, August 27, 2021, in Koprivnica.

While the first half went without goals, Belupo's s Glavcic received his second yellow in the 76th minute and Mioc scored in the 86th minute for 0:1 and Dragovoljac's first win this season!

Belupo is currently in 9th place with 5 points, while Dragovoljac is in last with 3.  

Lokomotiva v. Gorica (0:1)

Lokomotiva and Gorica met on Saturday, August 28, 2021, in Zagreb. 

After another scoreless first half, Lovric scored 0:1 in the 74th minute, which was the final score of the match. 

Lokomotiva is currently in 6th place with 10 points, while Gorica is in 5th place with 12 points. 

Sibenik v. Istra 1961 (3:1)

Sibenik and Istra met on Saturday, August 28, 2021, in Sibenik. 

Sibenik scored all three of its goals in the first half - Delic in the 17th, and Jakolis in the 22nd and 32nd. Drena Beljo scored one for Istra in the 74th for the final score of 3:1. 

Sibenik is currently in 7th place with 7 points, while Istra is in 8th with 6. 

Osijek v. Dinamo (0:2)

Osijek and Dinamo met in the first big derby of the weekend on Sunday, August 29, 2021, at City Garden Stadium. 3,175 spectators were in attendance.

Jakic scored for the Dinamo lead before the half for 0:1 in the 33rd minute. Pilj missed a penalty for Osijek in the 58th minute and an own goal by Loncar increased Dinamo's lead to 0:2 in the 65th minute. 

Osijek is currently in 4th place with 13 points, while Dinamo is in 1st with 13 and one game less. 

Hajduk v. Rijeka (1:2)

Hajduk and Rijeka closed out of the 7th round with the Adriatic Derby at Poljud on Sunday, August 29, 2021. 15,967 spectators were in attendance.

Tomecak scored for 0:1 Rijeka in the 21st minute, which Drmic increased to 0:2 before the half (43'). Hajduk's Elez came back with a goal for 1:2, and after numerous attempts, was unable to equalize. 

Hajduk is currently in 3rd place with 13 points, while Rijeka is in 2nd with 13 and one game less. 

You can see the full HNL table HERE.

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August 27, 2021 - The Europa League draw was held today in Istanbul, with Dinamo in Group H against Genk, West Ham, and Rapid Wien. 

After being relegated from the Champions League playoffs by Moldovan club Sheriff (0-3, 0-0), Dinamo was placed in the first strong group of the Europa League draw and today learned the rivals that stand in their way to a new European spring.

The draw in Istanbul on Friday decided that Dinamo will play in Group H of the Europa League. The Zagreb club has thus drawn Group H with Genk, West Ham, and Rapid Wien. The first match of the group stage is scheduled for September 16.

Dinamo could have had a much worse draw, and a clash against Crvena Zvezda has been avoided. Rapid will threaten Damir Krznar's team from the fourth strong group of the team, West Ham from the third, while Genk, which knocked out Osijek and Lokomotiva from European competitions in previous years, come from the second.

EUROPE LEAGUE GROUP DRAW:

Group A
Lyon
Rangers
Sparta Prague
Brondby

Group B
Monaco
PSV Eindhoven
Real Sociedad
Sturm Graz

Group C
Napoli
Leicester City
Spartak Moscow
Legia Warsaw

Group D
Olympiakos
Eintracht Frankfurt
Fenerbahce
Royal Antwerp

Group E
Lazio
Lokomotiv Moscow
Marseille
Galatasaray

Group F
Braga
Red Star Belgrade
Ludogorets
Midtjylland

Group G
Bayer Leverkusen
Celtic
Real Betis
Ferencvaros

Group H
Dinamo Zagreb
Genk
West Ham
Rapid Vienna

Match dates: September 16 and 30, October 21, November 4 and 25, December 9

The knockout round playoffs are held on February 17 and 24 before the last 16 draw on February 25. The round of 16 is played on March 10 and 17, the quarter-finals on April 7 and 14, and the semis on April 28 and May 5. The Europa League final is on May 18 in Seville. 

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August 25, 2021 - Dinamo loses to Sheriff in the Champions League playoffs and will compete in the Europe League competition instead. 

Dinamo failed to qualify for the Champions League group stage after playing 0:0 against Sheriff in the return match of the playoffs in Zagreb. Sheriff won the first leg 3:0 in Tiraspol.

Dinamo failed to make up for the three-goal deficit, and the Moldovan club thus qualified for the Champions League group stage for the first time.

Dinamo did not find a way to break through the Sheriff's defense led by goalkeeper Athanasiadis, whom Dinamo failed to get by in both matches.

Sheriff unexpectedly started attacking from the first minute, and in the 4th minute, Thill hit the post.

Dinamo had their first chance only after ten minutes. However, Ivanušec missed a good opportunity, and Petković's attempts were defended by the Moldovan goalkeeper Athanasiadis, and the teams went into halftime without goals. 

Sheriff's goalkeeper defended Oršić's shot in the 52nd minute, after which the match calmed down completely. Dinamo's attacks could not penetrate Sheriff's defense.

"We did our best, but we failed. I’m sorry to the wonderful fans, but hopefully, there will be a win in the Europa League. We knew we had to put more pressure than in the first game, but Sheriff deserved the Champions League," Duje Cop said after the game.

Mislav Oršić thanked the fans for their support.

"I don't know what to say; it's hard to analyze the game. They were better; that’s the only thing that matters. After that, we have to turn to the Europa League, and the HNL," said Oršić.

"We reached the last third, but in the end, there was always something missing," added Dinamo's winger.

"Maybe someone will say that this is a failure, but we are in the Europa League in which we did great things last year," concluded Oršić.

Daniele Orsato from Italy refereed in front of 8,100 spectators at the Maksimir Stadium.

Source: HRT

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