October 3, 2019 - What happens when a Hajduk fan falls in love with a Dinamo supporter? An epic wedding invitation. 

Planning a wedding can be stressful, and can often bring out traits of your partner you didn’t know existed. But, despite the quips and quarrels you experience, your wedding day vows promise to commit to one another for a lifetime, and, of course, respect one another despite your differences.

But this all gets a bit trickier when a Hajduk and Dinamo fan fall in love. 

However, newlyweds Stefan and Nela are one of the rare success stories in this football love affair - and they have every reason to celebrate, for their genuine love has withstood one of the world’s most notorious football rivalries. 

Slobodna Dalmacija writes that Stefan, an ardent fan of Hajduk, and Nela, a die-hard Dinamo supporter, conquered Croatia’s clash of Split and Zagreb. And because their love prevailed, they made sure to show it with an unconventional wedding invitation.

Thus, Stefan and Nela chose a unique yet appropriate way to display their ‘forbidden love’ to one another and their beloved football clubs, and their wedding invitations were designed as a ticket to Croatia’s 'Eternal Derby' between Dinamo and Hajduk. 

The ticket shows Nela as Dinamo, and Stefan as Hajduk. The invitation invites guests to the ‘game of their lives’ and asks them not to miss the derby of the year. The invitation names the stadium as the church, followed by the celebration in Kiseljak, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The wedding band shared on Facebook that they were honored to be a part of this event. 

“For the most important day in their lives, many newlyweds pay attention to the smallest details. One of them is certainly the wedding invitation, which the couple wants to be special and unique.

So, newlyweds Nela and Stefan, who were married in Lepenica, had a very interesting and original wedding invitation.

The invitation was made in the form of a ticket to a football match Dinamo and Hajduk, since Nela is a Dinamo fan, and Stefan goes for Hajduk. Congratulations to the newlyweds and good luck to them in the match of their lives.”

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

October 1, 2019 - Manchester City was better than Dinamo Zagreb (2:0) at Etihad Stadium in the second round of the Champions League on Tuesday. 

Dinamo Zagreb met Manchester City in the second round of the Champions League Group C on Tuesday at Etihad Stadium. Recall, Dinamo topped Atalanta 4:0 in Zagreb in the first round. Both teams secured three points after their first-round matches. 

Dinamo coach Nenad Bjelica had no problem with injured players for Tuesday’s match, while Pep Guardiola was left without Kevin de Bruyne, one of his best. Furthermore, the famous coach still could not count on the John Stones - Aymeric Laporte stopper duo.

Dinamo once again came out with three stoppers. As against Atalanta, in front of Livakovic was Theophile, Peric, and Dilaver, with Stojanovic and Leovac as the backs. In the midfield were Moro, Ademi, Olmo, and Orsic with Petkovic on offense.

Over 1,500 fans traveled from Zagreb to see the spectacle against the Premier League champions. 

Dinamo held their own in the first half, which ended without goals thanks to a stellar defense that made sure Aguero, Mahrez, and David Silva saw none of Dinamo's goal. 

However, whether Dinamo would be able to keep up this stamina in the second half was in question. 

While Dinamo had a few chances to attack at the beginning of the first half, which failed to come to fruition thanks to careless mistakes, City piled on the pressure and put Dinamo’s defense to work much harder than in the first. 

Guardiola subbed Raheem Sterling on for Bernardo Silva in the 57th minute in the hope of some action, and you could tell the celebrated coach was uneasy his side hadn't scored yet.

But then it finally happened for City in the 66th minute - Raheem Sterling scored for 1:0. City dominated and held the majority of the possession in the second half, and Dinamo struggled to get past the halfway line. Dinamo's defense continued denying some of football's biggest players, though a quick counter in extra-time saw Phil Foden score for 2:0, which was the final score of the game. 

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

September 27, 2019 - The 9th round of the Croatian First League was held from September 27 to 29, 2019. This round saw big wins for Dinamo, Osijek, and Rijeka. Dinamo is now only one point behind Hajduk, who sits at the top of the table.

Lokomotiva v. Dinamo (0:4)

Lokomotiva and Dinamo opened the 9th round at Kranjčevićeva Street Stadium in Zagreb on Friday, September 27, 2019, in front of 2,983 fans. 

Kadzior opened the scoring spree for Dinamo with a goal in the 10th minute for 0:1, which was the score at the half. 

Olmo and Orsic scored in the 58th and 59th minute for 0:3, while Gavranovic secured Dinamo’s victory with a goal in the 74th for 0:4. 

Lokomotiva is currently in 6th place with 14 points, while Dinamo is in 2nd with 19. 

Varazdin v. Rijeka (0:2)

Varazdin and Rijeka met on Saturday, September 28, 2019, at NK Varteks stadium in front of 1,946 fans. 

Rijeka scored both goals in the first half - Pereira in the 12th minute and Halilovic in the 36th minute. Varazdin’s Djurasek was shown his second yellow in the 69th minute, forcing Varazdin to play with ten men for the rest of the match. 

Varazdin is currently in 9th place with 7 points, while Rijeka is in 3rd with 18. 

Slaven Belupo v. Osijek (0:4)

Belupo and Osijek met on Saturday, September 28, 2019, in Koprivnica in front of 703 fans. 

Mance (’25), Maric (’35), and Lepa (’41) scored for Osijek in the first half for 0:3. Skoric secured Osijek’s shutout with a goal in the 71st for 0:4. 

Belupo is currently in 7th place with 10 points, while Osijek is in 4th with 16. 

Inter Zapresic v. Gorica (0:2)

Inter and Gorica met on Sunday, September 29, 2019, at ŠRC Zaprešić Stadium in front of 553 fans. 

Cabraja scored in the 31st minute for 0:1 at the half.  Zwolinski increased Gorica’s lead in the 57th minute for 0:2, which was the final score of the game. Gorica also played a man down from the 53rd minute after Marina was shown his second yellow. 

Inter is currently in the last place with 6 points, while Gorica is in 5th place with 15. 

Istria v. Hajduk (1:1)

Istria and Hajduk closed out the 9th round on Sunday, September 29, 2019, in Pula in front of 4,569 fans.

Hajduk’s Caktas scored in the 35th minute for 0:1 at the half. Loncar equalized for Istria in the 80th minute for 1:1, which was the final score of the game. 

Istria is currently in 8th place with 9 points, while Hajduk remains in first place with 20. 

You can see the full 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.  

September 18, 2019 - Dinamo Zagreb opened their seventh Champions League appearance against Atalanta at Maksimir stadium in Zagreb on Wednesday. 

And what a night it was.

Dinamo shocked Atalanta 4:0 in their first Group C match of the Champions League group stage on Wednesday in Zagreb. 

The Croatian champion won 4:0 with goals by Marin Leovac and Mislav Orsic. Leovac opened Dinamo's scoring spree in the 11th minute after a cross by Stojanovic, and Orsic scored 20 minutes later with a masterful shot from 16 meters. At the end of the first half, Orsic had scored for 3:0. And Dinamo wasn't done yet. 

In the 68th minute, Orsic curved the ball around the keeper for 4:0 - and he bagged himself a hat trick, too.

More than 30,000 fans welcomed the return of the Champions League to Maksimir, including 3,000 Italian fans who also made the trip to Zagreb. 

This was a historic match for the Italian club as they have never played in the strongest European competition. Atalanta's lineup also features Croatian midfielder Mario Pasalic, a former member of Hajduk Split.

On the other hand, in Dinamo’s past six a Champions League appearances, they have not made it out of the group stage - and in the 36 games played, Dinamo has won four, drawn five, and recorded 27 defeats with a goal difference of 22:82. However, Dinamo advanced to the round of 16 of Europa League last season, though Benfica eliminated them.

It is interesting to note that before the match against Atalanta, Dinamo had lost their last three games against Italian clubs. Most recently, in the 2016/17 Champions League group stage, Dinamo lost home and away to Juventus.

In the other Group C match on Wednesday, Manchester City topped Shakhtar Donetsk 3:0. 

Dinamo Zagreb will meet Manchester City next on October 1 at Etihad Stadium. 

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

September 16, 2019 - After an international break, the 8th round of the Croatian First League was held from September 13 to 15, 2019. The highlight of this round was the Adriatic Derby between Rijeka and Hajduk. 

Dinamo v. Istria 1961 (1:0)

Dinamo and Istria met on Friday, September 13, 2019, to open the 8th round at Maksimir stadium in front of 2,700 spectators. 

The first half went without goals, though Gavranovic gave Dinamo the lead, and ultimately the win, after scoring in the 53rd minute for 1:0. 

Dinamo is currently in 2nd place with 16 points,  while Istria is in 7th with 8. 

Inter Zapresic v. Slaven Belupo (3:1)

Inter and Belupo met on Saturday, September 14, 2019, in Zapresic. 

All of the action in the game came in the second half after Serderov scored for the Inter lead in the 47th minute. Nowak equalized for Belupo just two minutes later for 1:1. 

Inter was unable to score again until the last minutes of the game, when Mlinar scored in the 87th for 2:1, and Mamut in the 3rd minute of added time for the final score of 3:1. 

Inter is currently in 9th place with 6 points, while Belupo is in 8th with 7. 

Gorica v. Lokomotiva (0:0)

Gorica and Lokomitiva met on Saturday, September 14,  2019, in Velika Gorica. 

Since neither team was able to score, the game ended 0:0. Brazilian Sammir, former Dinamo player and once a member of the Croatia national team, made his debut back on Croatian soil, this time for Lokomotiva, entering the game for Tolic in the 66th minute. 

Gorica is currently in 5th place with 12 points, while Lokomotiva is in 6th with 11. 

Osijek v. Varazdin (2:2)

Osijek and Varazdin met at City Garden Stadium on Sunday, September 15, 2019. 

Osijek was already up by two goals at the half thanks to Maric (’26) and Silva (’42). What seemed like a sure victory for Osijek was crushed after Varazdin managed two goals to equalize in the final minutes of the game - Djurasek scored in the 89th for 2:1, and Lisakovich in the second minute of added time for 2:2. 

Osijek is currently in 3rd place with 13 points, while Varazdin is in the last place with 4. 

Rijeka v. Hajduk (1:1)

The Adriatic Derby between Rijeka and Hajduk closed out the 8th round on Sunday, September 15, 2019, at a nearly sold out Rujevica stadium.

Rijeka was the first to score in the 31st minute for 1:0 at the half, though Hajduk’s young blood Teklic scored the equalizer in the 78th minute for 1:1, which was the final score of the game. This derby was also unique as it featured the return of Filip Bradaric and Franko Andrijasevic. Recall, both players were brought up in the Hajduk academy and played for Hajduk's first team, before playing together at Rijeka when they won the 2016/2017 season. 

Hajduk remains in first place with 16 points, while Rijeka is in 4th place with 12 points. 

You can see the full HNL table here. 

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

September 2, 2019 - The 7th round of the Croatian First League was held from August 30 to September 1, 2019, and featured the highly anticipated ‘Eternal Derby’ between Hajduk and Dinamo. 

Lokomotiva v. Slaven Belupo (6:1)

Lokomotiva and Belupo opened the 7th round of the Croatian First League at Kranjčevićeva Street stadium in Zagreb in front of 732 fans. 

Lokomotiva opened the game with two goals in the first half by Tolic and Kastrati for 2:0. Though the home team’s scoring spree was far from over. Cokaj increased Lokomotiva’s lead in the 46th minute for 3:0, followed by another goal by Kastrati in the 50th for 4:0. Fortunately, Belupo was able to get one goal in the 56th minute (penalty), which made the game 4:1. Drozdek, however, increased Lokomotiva’s lead to 5:1 in the 61st and Petrak scored Lokomotiva’s last of the game in the 80th minute for the final score of 6:1. 

Lokomotiva is currently in 6th place with 10 points, while Belupo is in 8th with 7. 

Hajduk v. Dinamo (1:0)

Hajduk and Dinamo met at Poljud on Saturday, August 31, 2019, in front of 29,359 fans for the first ‘Eternal Derby’ of the season. 

While the first half showed Dinamo’s strength, Hajduk was a new team in the second and spectators experience a true derby atmosphere. It wasn’t until the 56th minute when we saw the first and only goal of the game, which came from a stellar Jradi header over the top of Livaković’s head for 1:0 Hajduk. Diamo’s Dilaver was given a red card in the 75th minute, which was followed by the second yellow for Hajduk’s Jradi. Both teams finished the game with 10 men. The derby went without any major incidents, though two of Dinamo’s assistant coaches were also shown red cards in the second half. 

Hajduk is currently first on the table with 15 points, while Dinamo is in 2nd with 13. 

Istra 1961 v. Osijek (0:0)

Istra and Osijek met on Saturday, August 31, 2019, at Aldo Drosina stadium in Pula in front of 1,956 fans. 

The game went without any goals and ended at 0:0. 

Istra is currently in 7th place with 8 points, while Osijek is in 3rd with 12. 

Varaždin v. Gorica (1:3)

Varaždin and Gorica met on Sunday, September 1, 2019, at VK Varteks Stadium. 

Gorica’s Lovric was the first to score in the 20th minute for 0:1, though Benko came back to equalize in the 37th minute for 1:1 at the half. 

However, Gorica retook the lead thanks to another Lovric goal in the 57th minute, and a hat trick for Lovric increased Gorica’s lead to 1:3, which was the final score of the game. 

Varaždin is currently in the last place with 3 points, while Gorica is in 5th with 11. 

Rijeka v. Inter Zaprešić (1:1)

Rijeka and Inter closed out the 7th round on Sunday, September 1, 2019, at Rujevica stadium in front of 3,529 fans. 

Inter was awarded a penalty already in the second minute of the game, which put the guests up 0:1. Rijeka equalized in the 31st minute thanks to a goal by Gorgon. Neither team was able to score in the second half, and the game ended 1:1. 

Rijeka is currently in 4th place with 11 points, while Inter is in 9th place with 3. 

You can see the full table here. 

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

August 31, 2019 - On Saturday at 6:30 pm, the 7th round of the Croatian First League will feature the first derby this season between Dinamo and Hajduk. The two teams will meet at Poljud for what is known around the world as the ‘Eternal Derby’. 

It is a chance for Hajduk to reach the top of the standings after 1399 days, with the first victory against Dinamo at Poljud after 1259 days, reports Index.hr.

About 30,000 fans have been announced for the match, making it an ideal opportunity for Hajduk to get a crucial win in front of their fans. Dinamo fan group Bad Blue Boys are also arriving in large numbers, who will be escorted by police from Dugopolje at 4 pm and accompanied to the stadium.

The last time Hajduk celebrated against Dinamo they were led by coach Damir Buric, their coach currently. It was on March 20, 2016, and the winning goal for Hajduk was scored in the 4th minute by Fran Tudor, a footballer who is no longer a member of Hajduk after his contract expired this summer.

"Today, it is worth the same thing. We know how good the opponent is, but we also know what we can do. We have to bring the quality we showed in previous games," Buric said at a pre-match press conference on Friday.

However, Hajduk welcomes Dinamo without Ismajli, Edouk, Posavac, and Juric.

"Their absences have disturbed us a little. Juric is out thanks to a broken bone he didn’t even know he had. We will give those a chance who have not played a lot so far. We hope that Juric and Posavac will be ready for Rijeka. We cannot wait for the match against Dinamo. We don't have a chance to play the Champions League, but now we're going to see how we stand compared to a team playing in the Champions League."

Jakolis returns after suspension for exclusion, will he get a chance?

“I feel sorry for the guy because he is a player who plays with his heart and puts everything into the match. That was the case when he was expelled in Koprivnica. I think it was unfair to him and that exclusion was too strict. For every game, we have a plan. We know what lies ahead, and the most important thing is to design our game,” Buric said.

Dinamo coach Nenad Bjelica also spoke ahead of Saturday's game. 

“We expect to win, as always, no matter what stadium or who we play against. Hajduk has played very well in their last two games at home, defeating Lokomotiva and Gorica 3:0. A difficult task awaits us, but I think we are ready. We have recovered from the match against Rosenborg, as you know we have a very wide bench, we are probably going to use all of it and show our true face,” said the Dinamo coach, who was then asked if he dreamed more about Hajduk’s Caktaš or Kevin De Bruyne. 

"Neither," laughed Bjelica, and spoke about Hajduk's best player. "Mijo was the best goal scorer last season. We respect him very much. He can handle the game with a single action. We will have to pay attention to him and keep him in control from inside the box. But there are other dangerous players in Hajduk, like Jairo, and we will need maximum concentration to win."

With such a deep bench, we can certainly expect a change in Dinamo’s lineup compared to the match in Trondheim earlier this week, but Bjelica did not want to go into detail.

"We will see after training, and we will practice somewhere around Split. There certainly will be. Hajduk is always motivated against Dinamo, they will be carried by a full Poljud, but we have played in such atmospheres in Budapest and Trondheim, where there were also full stadiums with a great atmosphere, and we came out unscathed. I believe we will succeed in Split as well."

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

August 29, 2019 - Dinamo Zagreb will play in Group C against Manchester City, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Atalanta. 

On Thursday in Monte Carlo, the Champions League draw was held at 6 pm, reports Gol.hr.

Croatian champion Dinamo also took part in the draw. The Zagreb club has yet another historic opportunity to compete in the elite club competition, a competition it has already participated in seven times.

Dinamo was placed in the third strongest group and could not be drawn with Lyon, Bayer Leverkusen, Red Bull Salzburg, Olympiakos, Club Brugge, Valencia, and Inter.

Thus, Dinamo was drawn into Group C with Manchester City, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Atalanta.

The Champions League group stage will be played in the following terms:

1st Round: 17-18 September

2nd Round: 1-2 October

3rd Round: 22-23 October

4th Round: 5-6 November 

5th Round: 26-27 November 

6th Round: 10-11 December 

During the draw, the best players of the Champions League last season were also announced. Namely, the best goalkeeper is Alisson Becker, the best defender went to Virgil Van Dijk, best midfielder to Frenkie de Jong, and best forward to Lionel Messi. The UEFA President's Award went to Eric Cantona.

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

August 27, 2019 - Dinamo Zagreb and Rosenborg played 1:1 in the second leg of the Champions League play-off round on Tuesday. Recall, Dinamo won 2:0 at Maksimir last week, thus defending their lead from the first game which secured them a spot in the Champions League group stage, reports Gol.hr.

Dinamo lived dangerously in Trondheim, played a disastrous first half, but was rescued thanks to a brilliant move and a goal by Amer Gojak 19 minutes before the final whistle. Rosenborg proved to be a tough opponent, they played well in the first half, but in the second they fell both physically and mentally, which the Croatian champion used to their advantage to advance to the prestigious European competition.

Interestingly, Dinamo has not lost in the qualifications for the European Cup for eight years, that is, since their appearance against Malmo. 

For the seventh time in the history of the club, Dinamo has advanced to the Champions League group stage. However, they have never gone further in their six appearances so far, and in their 36 games played, they have won four, drawn five and managed 27 defeats with a 22:82 goal difference.

The Champions League group stage draw will be held on Thursday at 6 pm at Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. Dinamo Zagreb has already secured around 25 million euro by placing into the Champions League. 

Lineups:

ROSENBORG: Hansen - Hedenstad (Ceide, 84), Reginiussen, Hovland, Meling - Jensen, Lundemo (Trondsen, 73), Konradsen - Akintola (de Lanlay, 74), Soderlung, Adebenro

DINAMO: Livaković - Stojanović, Dilaver, Perić, Leovac - Moro - Hajrović (Gojak, 66), Ademi, Olmo (Gavranović, 90+1), Oršić (Atiemwen, 81) - Petković

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