January 4, 2021 - The latest HNL news, as Gorica brings on a new coach, and Hajduk a new sports director. 

Siniša Oreščanin was named the new coach of Gorica on Sunday. 

Namely, the third-placed HNL team lost coach Valdas Dambrauskas, who went to Ludogorets, Bulgaria, and sports director Mindaugas Nikoličius, who terminated his contract with Gorica and signed with Hajduk Split.

Index.hr reports that the first wish of the President of Gorica, Nenad Črnek, was the former Osijek coach Zoran Zekić, who recently returned from the Moldovan club Sheriff. On Saturday night, Črnko met with Zekić and Oreščanin and offered them his terms. Zekić asked for time to think, then turned down the offer on Sunday. It was then clear that the new coach would be Siniša Oreščanin, who should sign a contract until the summer of 2022 with the option to extend for another year.

Oreščanin should introduce himself to the team on Monday at 1 pm and immediately start preparations for the continuation of the season and a visit to Pula on January 19 near Istria.

Hajduk announced Mindaugas Nikoličius as the new sports director on Monday. Born on October 5, 1983, in Neringa, Lithuania, he has 16 years of experience in football and signed a contract with Hajduk until the summer of 2024.

He started his first job in football by working for the Lithuanian Football Federation in 2005. In 2006, the Scottish Heart of Midlothian hired him as a sports director and he remained in that position until 2008. Then, in 2010, he accepted the invitation of the Lithuanian club Zalgiris, in which he held the position of sports director and member of the Management Board for seven years.

He spent the last three years in the position of sports director and member of the Management Board of HNK Gorica, with which he terminated his contract and accepted Hajduk's invitation.

During his career as a sports director in these clubs, he won a total of 17 different trophies. He is a lawyer by profession and is fluent in Lithuanian, English, German, and Russian. He speaks and knows the basics of the Croatian language, Hajduk explained on their website of Nikoličius. 

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December 21, 2020 - The 16th round of the Croatian First League was held on December 19 and 20, 2020. Only three games were played in the winter season's final round, putting Dinamo and Osijek on the top of the table. 

Osijek v. Sibenik (1:0)

Osijek and Sibenik opened the 16th round on Saturday, December 19, 2020, at City Garden Stadium. 

The only goal of the match came in the 17th minute, thanks to a stellar header by Skoric for the 1:0 Osijek win. 

Osijek is currently in 2nd place with 33 points and 16 games played, while Sibenik is in 7th with 13 and only 14 games played.

Dinamo v. Varazdin (4:0)

Dinamo and Varazdin met at Maksimir Stadium on Saturday, December 19, 2020. 

A goal by Orsic in the 23rd and Petkovic in the 31st put Dinamo up at 2:0 at the half. A penalty awarded for Dinamo in the 79th minute scored by Petkovic made it 3:0, and Hajrovic secured Dinamo's victory in the first minute of added time for the final 4:0 result. 

Dinamo is currently in 1st place with 33 points, however, with only 14 games played, while Varazdin is in 9th place with 12 points. 

Hajduk v. Gorica (2:4)

Hajduk and Gorica closed out the 16th round on Sunday, December 20, 2020, at Poljud Stadium. 

Dieye scored the first goal for Gorica for 0:1 in the 6th minute. Atanasov equalized for Hajduk in the 24th. A penalty was awarded to Gorica in the 53rd, which Lovric scored for 1:2. Diamanatakos scored for 2:2 in the 63rd. 

Another penalty was awarded to Gorica in the 76th minute, putting them back in the lead for 2:3. Moro scored a final-minute goal for the 2:4 Gorica victory. 

Hajduk is currently in 5th place with 17 points, though with only 14 games played, while Gorica is in 3rd place with 29 points and 14 games played.

Istra 1961 and Lokomotiva already played their last matches this year. They were supposed to meet at Aldo Drosina Stadium in the 16th round, but the match was postponed due to COVID-19 infections in the Istra squad. Istra also had to postpone their two previous games against Sibenik in the Cup and the championship.

HNS also postponed the 16th round match between Slaven Belupo and Rijeka.

The Koprivnica club has four positive COVID-19 cases, and the competent epidemiologist determined a measure of self-isolation for three other players because the contacts of the infected were close. According to the decision of the HNS Competition Commission, any team that has six or more players in self-isolation can request a postponement of the match.

Rijeka will welcome the winter break with 20 points in 4th place, with five games behind, while Slaven Belupo is 6th with 17 points and one game behind.

The match between Slaven and Rijeka was supposed to be played on Sunday, December 20. 

You can see the full HNL table HERE.

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November 30, 2020 - The 13th round of the Croatian First League was held from November 27 to 29, 2020. This round saw Rijeka and Osijek draw, while the highly-anticipated Eternal Derby between Dinamo and Hajduk was postponed. 

Sibenik v. Slaven Belupo (0:3)

Sibenik and Slaven Belupo opened the 13th round on Friday, November 27, 2020, in Sibenik. 

A goal in the first-minute by Lulic gave Belupo the early 0:1 lead. Thirty minutes later, Etoundi increased Belupo's lead to 0:2, which was the score at the half. The final goal of the match was scored in the 80th minute by Knoll, for the 0:3 Belupo victory. 

Sibenik is currently in 7th place with 13 points, while Belupo is in 6th place with 14. 

Varazdin v. Istra 1961 (1:1)

Varazdin and Istra met on Saturuday, November 28, 2020, in Varazdin. 

While the first half went without goals, Obregon was the first to score for the Varazdin lead in the 51st minute. A penalty for Istra in the 7th minute of added time was scored by Grzan for the equalizer and final 1:1 result. 

Varazdin is currently in 9th place with 9 points, while Istra is in 10th with 9 points. 

Gorica v. Lokomotiva (1:1)

Gorica and Lokomotiva met on Saturday, November 28, 2020, in Velika Gorica. 

Lovric put Gorica in the lead in the 13th minute for 1:0 at the half. Tuci scored the equalizer in the 50th minute for the final 1:1 result. 

Gorica is currently in 3rd place with 23 points, while Lokomotiva is in 8th place with 9. 

Rijeka v. Osijek (1:1)

Rijeka and Osijek closed out the 13th round at Rujevica Stadium on Sunday, November 29, 2020. 

While the first half went without goals, a double-yellow for Pavicic forced Rijeka to play with a man down from the 60th minute. However, Andrijasevic scored for Rijeka just four minutes later for the 1:0 lead. An 83rd-minute equalizer by Bockaj ended the game 1:1. 

Rijeka is currently in 5th place with 16 points, while Osijek is in 1st with 27. 

You can see the full HNL table HERE.

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October 22, 2020 - As COVID-19 rips through Croatia, three 9th round Croatian First League matches meant to be played this weekend have been postponed.

It all began yesterday when Lokomotiva Zagreb announced they still cannot compete as the coronavirus has penetrated its dressing room. After postponing the match against Osijek last weekend, the 9th round match against Hajduk, which was supposed to be played on October 24, at Kranjčevićeva, is also postponed. The match will take place on the first possible date, which will be decided later.

The Croatian Football Federation stated the following explanation:

"On October 21, 2020, NK Lokomotiva submitted a notification that four players tested positive for coronavirus after testing the entire team, and two more have an epidemiological measure of self-isolation. Therefore, NK Lokomotiva cannot continue the regular competition and requests the postponement of the 9th round match in the HT First League between Lokomotiva - Hajduk.

Following the regulations of the HNS and the decision of the Competition Commission of the HNS from the session held on August 6, 2020, which authorizes the commissioners of the competition to postpone a particular match in case there are six or more players of the same club in self-isolation; based on the request of NK Lokomotiva, a decision was made to postpone the match. According to the provisions of the Rules on Football Competitions and the Propositions of Competitions, postponed matches must be played in the first possible free period, on which a decision will be made later."

Furthermore, Gorica announced today that five players have tested positive for coronavirus, so the match supposed to be played against Rijeka on Sunday has also been postponed.

"The 9th round of the HT First League, which was supposed to be played at the City Stadium in Velika Gorica, was postponed because the results of individual testing confirmed coronavirus infection in five HNK Gorica players, and three more have a prescribed measure of self-isolation.

Based on the request of HNK Gorica, following the regulations of HNS and the decision of the Competition Commission of HNS, a decision was made to postpone the match."

But that's not all. 

After the Gorica-Rijeka match was postponed, the same happened with the match between Istria and Osijek.

"The match between Istra 1961 and Osijek is postponed.

The test results confirmed the coronavirus in seven players of the Osijek Football Club. To avoid spreading the infection further, it is necessary to postpone the match until the competent epidemiologists decide on further action."

You can see the Croatian First League table HERE.

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

October 5, 2020 - The 7th round of the Croatian First League was held from October 2 to 4, 2020. In this round, Gorica topped Hajduk, while Osijek's win against Sibenik pushed them into 3rd place.

Lokomotiva v. Istra 1961 (0:0)

Lokomotiva and Istra opened the 7th round in Zagreb on Friday, October 2, 2020. 

While the game went without goals, it did see four yellow cards for Lokomotiva. 

Lokomotiva is currently in 8th place with 5 points, while Istra is in 7th with 5 points. 

Sibenik v. Osijek (0:2)

Sibenik and Osijek played their 7th round match in Sibenik on Saturday, October 3, 2020, in front of 1,173 spectators. 

While the first half went without goals, Mierez scored for the Osijek lead in the 67th minute. A penalty awarded to Osijek less than 10 minutes later saw Mierez score again for the final score of 0:2.

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

Gorica v. Hajduk (2:1)

Gorica and Hajduk met in Velika Gorica on Saturday, October 3, 2020, in front of 1,523 spectators. 

A penalty for Hajduk in the 45th minute saw Caktas score for 0:1 at the half. Lovric equalized for Gorica in the 62nd minute, after which Colina received a double-yellow for Hajduk, forcing them to play with a man down from the 70th minute. 

Hamad scored for the Gorica lead eight minutes later, while Jairo missed the chance to equalize from a penalty in the 10th minute of added time. The match ended at 2:1.

Gorica is currently in 2nd place with 16 points, while Hajduk is in 4th place with 10. 

Varazdin v. Dinamo (1:2)

Varazdin and Dinamo met on Sunday, October 4, 2020, at NK Varteks Stadium. 

Varazdin's Drozdek scored a penalty in the 8th minute to put the home team in the lead. However, Orsic scored just before the half to make it 1:1.

Another goal for Orsic in the 54th minute gave Dinamo the lead, and a goal taken back by VAR kept the score at 1:2.

Varazdin is currently in 6th place with 7 points, while Dinamo is in first with 16. 

Rijeka v. Slaven Belupo (2:0)

Rijeka and Slaven Belupo closed out the 7th round on Sunday, October 4, 2020, at Rujevica Stadium.

While the first half went without goals, Andrijasevic scored in the 69th minute for 1:0 Rijeka. Kulenovic scored a penalty in the second minute of added time for the final result of 2:0.

Rijeka is currently in 5th place with 9 points, while Belupo is in 9th place with 4. 

You can see the full HNL table HERE.

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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.

January 22, 2020 - The International Institute for Football History and Statistics has released a table of the most successful clubs in 2019, with the Croatian champion Dinamo coming in 11th place.

According to the calculations of the International Institute of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS), the current European champion Liverpool is the best club in 2019, ahead of Spanish club Barcelona, Manchester City and Brazil's Flamenco, the only South American representative among the top ten.

Croatian clubs are led by national champion Dinamo, which is just behind the top ten, in a high 11th place with 234 points, ahead of Brazilian greats Palmeiras and Atletico Mineira. Dinamo has thus moved up an impressive ten places from the also successful 2018 ranking.

Recall, in 2019, Dinamo became the Croatian champion in April, securing the 30th championship title in the club's history and the 20th title for the club in independent Croatia.  

Furthermore, Dinamo also advanced to the Champions League group stage. Though they finished last in the group, they had an impressive 4:0 win against Atalanta and drew to Shakhtar Donetsk twice. Dinamo was not as lucky against Manchester City, one of the best clubs in the world, losing 2:0 away and 1:4 at Maksimir. 

The Croatian Cup champion Rijeka holds 108th place with 126 points, between teams Petro de Luanda and Al Nassar, followed by Osijek (200th), Hajduk (217th), Gorica (290th) and Lokomotiva (340th).

IFFHS, Club Ranking for 2019:

1. Liverpool 316
2. Barcelona 293
3. Manchester City 284
4. Flamengo 275
5. Celtic 269
6. Valencia 268
7. Ajax 249,5
8. Chelsea 249
9. PSG 243
10. Wolverhampton 236
11. Dinamo Zagreb 234
...
108. Rijeka 126
...
200. Osijek 94
...
217. Hajduk 90
...
290. Gorica 74
...
340. Lokomotiva 67

Source: HNS

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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.