November 4, 2019 - The 14th round of the Croatian First League was held on November 2 and 3, 2019. This round saw a last-minute comeback for Osijek against Rijeka, while Hajduk lost to Gorica for the second time in one week. 

Dinamo v. Inter Zapresic (1:0)

Dinamo and Inter opened the 14th round on Saturday, November 2, 2019, at Maksimir stadium in front of 2,404 spectators. 

The first half was uneventful and went without goals, though it was Gvardiol to score at the start of the second half to make it 1:0 for Dinamo in the 48th minute. Inter was unable to equalize. 

Dinamo is currently in 1st place with 31 points, while Inter is in 7th with 11. 

Gorica v. Hajduk (2:1)

Gorica and Hajduk met for the second time last week on Saturday, November 2, 2019, in Velika Gorica in front of 3,753 fans. 

Gorica was quick to take the lead with a goal by Lovric in the 11th minute, though Hajduk’s Jairo equalized before the half for 1:1 in the 28th minute. 

Gorica retook the lead in the 86th minute for 2:1 with a goal by Suk, which was the final score of the game. 

Gorica is currently in 5th place with 21 points, while Hajduk remains in 2nd with 27. 

Slaven Belupo v. Istra (0:0)

Belupo and Istria met on Sunday, November 3, 2019, in Koprivnica in front of 3,134 spectators. 

Neither team was able to score, and the game featured four yellow cards for Belupo and three for Istra. 

Belupo is currently in 9th place with 11 points, while Istra is in 8th with 11. 

Osijek v. Rijeka (3:2)

Osijek and Rijeka met on Sunday, November 4, 2019, at City Garden Stadium. 

Colak and Zuparic put Rijeka up 0:2 at the half, which seemed as if it would depict the outcome of the game. However, Maric scored for Osijek in the 65th minute for 1:2, and two more late-game goals by Lyopa and Zaper (79’, 88’) gave Osijek an incredible turnaround and victory in the end. 

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Osijek is currently in 3rd place with 23 points, while Rijeka is in 4th with 22. 

Lokomotiva v. Varazdin

Lokomotiv and Varazdin closed out the 14th round on Monday, November 4, 2019. 

Lokomotiva took the lead thanks to a Tolic penalty in the 18th minute for 1:0, though Varazdin’s Glavina equalized just before halftime for 1:1. 

Tuci’s goal put Lokomotiva back in the lead for 2:1, which was the final score of the game. 

Lokomotiva is currently in 5th place with 22 points, while Varazdin is in the last with 10.

You can see the full HNL table here.

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

November 1, 2019 - The representatives of the City of Zagreb and the football club Dinamo Zagreb agreed at a meeting on Thursday that a new Maksimir stadium would be built on the site of the existing stadium.

Gol.hr reports that a meeting between representatives of the City of Zagreb and representatives of football club Dinamo Zagreb was held on Thursday, where they decided to build a new stadium on the site of the existing Maksimir Stadium. The new stadium would be built in partnership between the City and the Zagreb club. 

While there has been a lot of talk over the past year about building a new stadium in the Croatian capital, it seems that Thursday’s meeting has finally taken a step to move things forward. 

The press release from the city office reads in its entirety:

"The Mayor of the City of Zagreb, Milan Bandic, and his associates met at the City Administration today with representatives of GNK Dinamo, led by President Mirko Barisic and President of the Executive Board Vlatka Peras, and discussed plans to build a new Maksimir football stadium.

It was concluded that this space is viewed as a complex entity through an urban competition that will resolve the issue of a football stadium with auxiliary grounds and an athletic stadium with the appropriate infrastructure.

It was agreed that Dinamo would make a final decision at its Assembly with clear guidelines defined by FIFA and UEFA about the standards for the construction of a new stadium at the site.

It was also defined that the new stadium project would be built in partnership between the City and GNK Dinamo.

Following the decision of the Dinamo Assembly, further steps can be taken regarding the realization of this historical project that is extremely important for Dinamo - an icon of Zagreb sport, essential for the city of Zagreb, its sports memory, and for all Zagreb and sports fans," concludes the statement by the City of Zagreb.

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October 31, 2019 - Dinamo and Rijeka routinely advanced to the quarterfinal of the Croatian Football Cup, while Gorica eliminated Hajduk in the most interesting match of the round of 16. 

Gorica and Hajduk met in the biggest game of the round of 16 on Wednesday in Velika Gorica, which saw the home team top Hajduk 2:1 to reach the Cup quarterfinal for the first time in their history, while Hajduk has been eliminated from the round of 16 for the third time.

However, the last time Hajduk fell in the round of 16 was as the title defenders nine years ago to Istra, led by Zoran Vulic. They were also eliminated in the round of 16 in 1995 when they were shocked by Marsonia.

Gorica took the lead in the 64th minute from a 25-meter free-kick by Kristijan Lovric, and came one step closer to the victory in the 85th minute when Joey Suk scored from the counter to make it 2:1. A glimmer of hope for Hajduk was brought by Stanko Juric in the 88th minute for 2:1, though Hajduk was unable to score again. 

There were no surprises in the match between Dinamo and Opatija, so much so that Dinamo secured the victory in the first half when all three goals of the match were scored. 

The Croatian champion led with a goal by Damian Kadzior in the eighth minute. Mario Gavranovic's penalty in the 29th minute increased Dinamo’s lead to 2:0, while another goal by Gavranovic the 36th minute made it 3:0. 

In the final round of 16 match, the title defenders Rijeka defeated Varazdin 2:1

Rijeka led 2:0 with goals from Petar Mamic in the 47th minute and Alexander Gorgon in the 54th minute, while Leonard Vuk scored in the 83rd minute to make it 2:1. 

Lokomotiva had no problem against the third-seeded Vinogradar and won 3:0 for a spot in the quarters.

Slaven Belupo topped BSK Bijelo Brdo 2:0 to secure their spot in the next round, and Sibenik beat Belisce 2:1.

Osijek already advanced to the quarter last week after celebrating against Zadar 3:0. 

Round of 16 results on Wednesday, October 30

Opatija - Dinamo 0:3

Gorica - Hajduk 2:1

BSK Bijelo Brdo - Slaven Belupo 0:2

Sibenik - Belisce 2:1

Vinogradar - Lokomotiva 0:3

Istra 1961 - Inter Zapresic 1:2

Varaždin - Rijeka 2:1

On Wednesday, October 23

Zadar - Osijek 0:3

Source: HRT

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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. 

October 22, 2019 - Dinamo Zagreb and Shakhtar Donetsk met in the third round of Champions League Group C on Tuesday in Kharkiv as one of the key matches for the Croatian champion in the prestigious European competition this season. The winner would open the doors to the round of 16. 

Dinamo coach Nenad Bjelica had minor problems with player injuries on Tuesday. However, captain Ademi started from the first minute, while Petkovic started on the bench with Gavranovic in his place. The Croatian champion played in a 5-4-1 formation with three stoppers, and Olmo and Orsic playing the wings.

Shakhtar came out attacking from the start, with a dangerous play in Dinamo’s box within the first minute. However, it didn’t take long for the Zagreb side to find their form, maintain possession and move for the attack. Dinamo did, however, commit four fouls by the 10th minute, with Stojanović booked for a yellow. 

Shakhtar picked up their attacking game again with another dangerous play in the 13th minute, which was cleared out by Dinamo’s defense for a corner. While they were unlucky then, Shakhtar finally had their chance in the 16th minute for 1:0. 

Conceding the goal seemed to be the wake-up call the Zagreb side needed, who continued to press in Shakhtar’s half for the following five minutes. After Gavranovic failed to finish in the box, Orsic took the ball down the left wing to find the boot of Spanish wonder kid Dani Olmo for the equalizer. The game was 1:1 in the 24th minute. 

Both sides had chances in the minutes that follow as the intensity of the game increased. The game was equal, though Shakhtar maintained slightly better possession (55%). 

Dinamo opened the second half with a stellar chance in the 49th minute when Olmo hit the crossbar. Shakhtar’s defense had to save their goal from Olmo yet again in the 55th. Moments later, a penalty was awarded to Dinamo, which Orsic scored for 1:2. 

Shakhtar had an epic chance to make it 2:2 in the 65th minute, but Moraes just missed. In the 75th minute, however, Shakhtar’s Dodo equalized for 2:2. 

Olmo was unlucky in the final minute of regulation time and the game ended 2:2. 

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

October 21, 2019 - In the third round of the Champions League group stage, Dinamo Zagreb will take on Shakhtar Donetsk away at Kharkiv's OSK Metalist Stadion. This will be the first time these two sides have met in a European competition for a decade. The last time they faced each other, the Ukranian side was victorious in both games. 

In 2008, in the final qualifying stage for the group phase of the Champions League, the Ukrainian side triumphed 2-0 in the Donetsk first leg, before a 3-1 success in Zagreb. Back then, Mario Mandžukić, Dejan Lovren, Milan Badelj, and even Igor Bišćan were part of the Dinamo team while Shakhtar was represented by a strong team with the likes of Willian, Fernandinho and Luiz Adriano. In the first leg, Shakhtar already took the lead in the third minute of the game when former Croatia captain and now an assistant coach in the Ukranian club, Darijo Srna, converted the free-kick. The home side doubled the lead through Brazilian Jádson later in the second half. 

In the capital of Croatia, Dinamo struggled again as Brazilian trio Luiz Adriano, Brandão and Willian all scored. After being eliminated from the Champions League, Dinamo managed to qualify for the UEFA Cup. The Croatian side progressed to the group stages of the competition through Slavia Prague, after drawing both games, the first leg at home 0-0, but then qualified through away goals after drawing 3-3 in the Czech Republic. Dinamo was eliminated from the competition after finishing at the bottom of their group, while on the other side, Shakhtar was third in theirs, meaning that they played the UEFA Cup, which they then actually won that season. 

These two sides also played two friendly games in the last three years; the last being played in January 2018 when Dinamo won 1-0 as part of their pre-season. On Tuesday, Shakhtar will be considered favorites despite losing to Manchester City in the first round. The Donetsk club has been defeated in only three of their last 19 home matches in Europe, although they haven’t won any of the last five. 

On the other side, the 2-0 loss against Manchester City in the last round was Dinamo's 13th successive away defeat in the Champions League group stage, since a 2-2 draw at Marseille in November 1999. Furthermore, they have never beaten a Ukrainian opposition in a UEFA competition, home or away. 

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

October 21, 2019 - The 12th round of the Croatian First League was held from October 18 to 20, 2019. In this round, Dinamo retook first place after Hajduk and Lokomotiva drew. 

Gorica v. Dinamo (2:4)

Gorica and Dinamo opened the 12th round in Velika Gorica on Friday, October 18,2019. 

Orsic and Kadzior scored for Dinamo in the 25th and 27th minutes to make it 0:2 at the half - and thanks to another goal by Orsic, it was 0:3 by the 49th minute.  Lovric came back with a goal for Gorica in the 55th, though an Orsic hat trick made it 1:4 in the 61st. Gorica’s Suk scored in the 77th for the final score of 2:4. 

Gorica is currently in 6th place with 15 points, while Dinamo is back in first with 25. 

Varazdin v. Istra 1961 (1:0)

Varazdin and Istria met on Saturday, October 19, 2019, at the NK Varteks stadium. 

The first half went without goals, and the game didn’t see its only goal until the 87th minute when Benko scored for Varazdin for 1:0. 

Varazdin is currently in 8th place with 10 points, while Istra is in 7th with 10. 

Slaven Belupo v. Rijeka (1:2)

Belupo and Rijeka met in Koprivnica on Saturday, October 19, 2019. 

Belupo’s Radivojevic put the home team in the lead in the 14th minute for 1:0 at the half. It wasn't until the end of the match that Rijeka came back - Gorgon scored in the 74th minute to equalize, and Acosty scored in the 90th for the 1:2 win. 

Belupo is currently in 9th place with 10 points, while Rijeka is in third with 22. 

Inter Zapresic v. Osijek (3:3)

Inter and Osijek met on Sunday, October 20, 2019, at Stadion ŠRC Zaprešić in front of 662 fans. 

Maric put Osijek in the lead for 0:1, though two goals by Serderov in the 32nd and 43rd minute had Inter up 2:1 at the half. Serderov scored his hat trick in the 63rd minute for 3:1, though Lepa and Spoljaric came back to equalize for Osijek in the 72nd and 92nd minute for the 3:3 draw. 

Inter is currently in the last place with 8 points, while Osijek is in 4th with 20. 

Lokomotiva v. Hajduk (0:0)

Lokomotiva and Hajduk closed out the 12th round on Sunday, October 20, 2019, at Kranjceviceva Street Stadium. 

While there were chances on both ends, neither team was able to score. The draw was met with criticism by part of Hajduk fan group Torcida, who called for coach Damir Buric's departure. 

Lokomotiva is currently in 5th place with 16 points, while Hajduk has dropped to 2nd with 24.

You can see the full HNL table here. 

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

October 14, 2019 - TCN contributor Valentino Komusar takes a more in-depth look into the football career of Dinamo star and Croatia national team member Bruno Petkovic.

“It’s a dream of every football player to play for his national team. It’s stuck in your head from an early age. I have to continue to play as I do now and hope that the call will come. Everything else depends on the manager,” Bruno Petkovic said for Croatian media a year ago, a few months after he completed his move from Bologna to Dinamo. 

Today, he has earned six caps for the national team and scored four goals. Last Thursday, Bruno was the hero of the game against Hungary after scoring a brace. He debuted for Croatia in March of this year against Azerbaijan and is already one of the key members of the team, while on the club level, he also continues to impress for Dinamo Zagreb. His popularity is also growing worldwide as, in the last few days, his profile on Transfermarkt had the most views, even more than Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi! But the path to success wasn’t easy.

Bruno Petkovic was born in 1994, in Metkovic, a town located in the southeast of the country where he also began his football career following in the footsteps of his father Jakov, who played professionally. When he was 13, Bruno left for Zagreb, where he first joined Dinamo then played for a few different clubs in the capital of Croatia before leaving for Italy in 2013. Bruno signed for Catania, but was loaned out on four occasions before he joined Serie B outfit Trapani in 2016.

There, he started to shine after scoring ten goals in 38 appearances for the club, so much so that he caught the eye of a Serie A team, Bologna. With not much playing time and providing only three assists while playing for the team and out on loan for Hellas Verona, it was time to come back home. Petkovic joined Dinamo once again in August of 2018. 

“My wish was to come back as I made my first serious football steps at Dinamo 10 years ago. After so many years abroad, where it was hard, I decided to come back. I think this is a step in the right direction to show why everyone thinks highly of me. Everybody talks about that talent of mine, which I haven’t fully justified if you look at the statistics. It’s up to me to prove my worth and I believe that I will get the chance,” Petkovic said when he came back to Croatia's capital.  

Pretty much immediately, Bruno became a crucial part of the team and so far, he scored 20 times in 57 appearances while providing 14 assists at the same time. His impressive performances on the pitch earned him a new contract with Dinamo a month ago, where he reportedly doubled his salary, while the manager of the Croatia national football team, Zlatko Dalic, made him number one striker. Today, many feel that Bruno filled the void that was made when Mario Mandžukić retired last summer and that he is ready to become a new number one striker for the national team and follow in the footsteps of Davor Šuker, Eduardo da Silva and already mentioned Mandžukić. 

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

October 7, 2019 - The 11th round of the Croatian First League was held from October 4 to 6, 2019. Hajduk remains in first after the 11th round, with Dinamo just one point behind in second and Osijek and Rijeka 4 points behind in third and fourth place. 

Istria 1961 v. Inter Zapresic (2:2)

Istria and Inter opened the 11th round on Friday, October 4, 2019, in Pula in front of 1,555 spectators. 

Inter’s Grgic was the first to score for 0:1 at the half, though most of the excitement was saved for the second half. 

Ivancic scored two goals for Istria, in the 47th and 56th minutes for 2:1, though Frelih equalized for Inter in the 4th minute of added time for 2:2. 

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

Hajduk v. Varazdin (2:0)

Hajduk and Varazdin met on Saturday, October 5, 2019, at Poljud stadium in Split in front of 7,945 spectators. 

Hajduk’s Jairo scored in the 21st minute for 1:0 at the half, though Nejasmic increased their lead to 2:0 in the 65th minute, which was the final score of the game. Varazdin’s Senic received his second yellow in the 90th minute, forcing Varazdin to play with a man down for the final minutes of the game. 

Hajduk is currently in first place with 23 points, while Varazdin is in the last place with 7. 

Dinamo v. Slaven Belupo (1:0)

Dinamo and Belupo met on Saturday, October 5, 2019, at Maksimir stadium in front of 1,511 sectors. 

The only goal of the match came in the 5th minute when Petkovic scored a penalty for 1:0. Neither team was able to score for the remainder of the match. 

Dinamo is currently in second place with 22 points, while Belupo is in 8th with 10. 

Osijek v. Gorica (2:1)

Osijek and Gorica met on Saturday, October 5, 2019, at City Garden Stadium in front of 2,212 sectors. 

While the first half went without goals, Lovric put Gorica in the lead with a goal in the 54th minute. Osijek’s Maric scored a penalty in the 66th minute for 1:1, and Mance increased Osijek’s lead to 2:1 in the 75th minute. 

Osijek is currently in 3rd place with 19 points, while Gorica is in 5th place with 15. 

Rijeka v. Lokomotiva (1:1)

Rijeka and Lokomotiva closed out the 11th round at Rujevica Stadium on October 6, 2019, in front of 4,835 spectators. 

Andrijasevic put Rijeka in the lead with a goal just before the ref blew the whistle for the half, though Uzuni equalized for Lokomotiva minutes later in the 49th minute for 1:1, which was the final score of the game. 

Rijeka is currently in 4th place with 19 points, while Lokomotiva is in 6th place with 15. 

You can see the HNL table here. 

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

ZAGREB, October 4, 2019 - The county court in the eastern city of Osijek on Friday upheld a third indictment against the former head of Dinamo Zagreb Football Club, Zdravko Mamić.

The indictment was brought by the Zagreb County Prosecutor's Office and it charges Mamić with siphoning 16.7 million kuna from the club between 2002 and 2007. It will be joined with the second indictment brought by the USKOK anti-corruption office, which was confirmed in May 2019, Osijek County Court spokesman Miroslav Rožac told reporters.

Mamić, who holds dual Croatian and Bosnian citizenship, fled to the neighbouring country in June last year, the day before the announcement of the first court verdict, which sentenced him to six and a half years in prison for siphoning about 116 million kuna from Dinamo.

Asked if he could be tried in his absence, Rozac said that he could, but after the necessary legal conditions were met.

The third indictment charges Mamić with siphoning funds from Dinamo between 25 September 2002 and 8 March 2007 via the club's bank account in Klagenfurt, Austria. During that time, he served as a member of the club's executive board, executive vice-president and management board member and had the authority to manage money in the Klagenfurt bank account.

In May 2019, Osijek County Court confirmed the second USKOK indictment against Mamic and six other defendants charged with defrauding the club of about 200 million kuna. Although this indictment was upheld, Bosnian judicial authorities decided that there were no grounds for Mamić's extradition to Croatia.

More news about Zdravko Mamić can be found in the Sports section.