March 2, 2021 - Hajduk tops NK Zagreb 3:0 in the final Croatian Cup round of 16 match on Tuesday. 

Hajduk beat Zagreb 3:0 at Veslačka Street Stadium in Zagreb on Tuesday and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Croatian Cup, where they will play away against Gorica later this month. 

Like other clubs in the lower leagues, NK Zagreb does not have a license to play league matches, so they readied for the match against Hajduk by playing friendlies.

On the other hand, Hajduk entered the match coming off two league victories in the past two weeks, both against Rijeka at Rujevica. Between those matches, most of the team was quarantined due to COVID-19. 

The match ended 0:0 at the half, though that quickly changed when coach Paolo Tramezzani subbed on Marko Livaja, Marco Fossati, and Darko Todorović.

In the 58th minute, Jairo scored for 0:1 Hajduk. Six minutes later, Zagreb was left with a player less as Karlo Strunje received his second yellow card, and in the 66th minute, Livaja scored from a free-kick to increase Hajduk's lead to 0:2.

Jairo sealed Hajduk's victory in the 70th minute after Livaja played him phenomenally for 0:3.

Croatian Cup Quarterfinals

Osijek - Rijeka (Wednesday, March 3 at 14:30)
Dinamo - Slaven Belupo (Wednesday, March 3 at 17:00)
Oriolik - Istria 1961 (Wednesday, March 17 at 15:00)
Gorica - Hajduk (Tuesday, March 16 at 17:00)

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

March 1, 2021 - The 23rd round of the Croatian First League was held from February 26 to 28, 2021. In this round, Osijek comes back to beat Varazdin, and Hajduk records another win at Rujevica against Rijeka. 

Varazdin v. Osijek (2:3)

Varazdin and Osijek opened the 23rd round on Friday, February 26, 2021, in Varazdin. 

Peco scored the first goal of the match in the 16th minute for 1:0 Varazdin, which Herrera increased to 2:0 five minutes later. Varazdin could not hold onto their lead for long, with an Osijek penalty in the 52nd minute (Mierez) bringing them back in the game. Santini equalized for Osijek in the 68th minute, and Mierez scored again for the 2:3 win 10 minutes later. 

Varazdin is currently in 7th place with 22 points, while Osijek is in 2nd with 51. 

Sibenik v. Lokomotiva (0:0)

Sibenik and Lokomotiva met on Saturday, February 27, 2021, in Sibenik. 

Neither team was able to score in the 0:0 draw. 

Sibenik is currently in 6th place with 26 points, while Lokomotiva is in 9th with 19. 

Rijeka v. Hajduk (0:1)

The thrilling Adriatic Derby between Rijeka and Hajduk was played on Saturday, February 27, 2021, at Rujevica Stadium. 

The only goal of the match came in the 72nd minute when Umut scored thanks to Livaja's debut assist for 0:1 Hajduk. Rijeka was awarded a penalty in the final seconds of the match (96'), but Andrijasevic shot at goalkeeper Lovre Kalinic for the critical Hajduk win. Rijeka's coach Simon Rožman resigned after the match, and the club should announce a new coach soon. 

Rijeka is currently in 4th place with 32 points, while Hajduk is in 5th place with 29. 

Gorica v. Istra 1961 (2:1)

Gorica and Istra met on Sunday, February 28, 2021, in Velika Gorica. 

Istra's Bande scored the first goal of the match in the 25th minute, which was the score at the half. Lovric equalized for 1:1 in the 50th minute, and Mudrinski gave Gorica the lead in the 73rd minute for the 2:1 final result. 

Gorica is currently in 3rd place with 46 points, while Istra is in 10th place with 14. 

Dinamo v. Slaven Belupo (3:0)

Dinamo and Slaven Belupo closed out the 23rd round on Sunday, February 28, 2021, at Maksimir Stadium. 

The first half went without goals after a VAR decision called Lauritsen's goal offside in the 37th minute. Gvardiol scored Dinamo's first goal in the 60th minute, followed by Tolic four minutes later for 2:0. Gavranovic made it 3:0 in the 90th minute. 

Dinamo is currently in 1st place with 51 points, while Belupo is in 8th with 21. 

You can see the full HNL table HERE.  

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

February 28, 2021 - Coach Simon Rožman (37) resigned after Rijeka's defeat to Hajduk (0:1) at Rujevica in the 23rd round of the HNL on Saturday. The club's management accepted his resignation.

"Simon Rožman is no longer the coach of Rijeka. After the defeat to Hajduk, Rožman offered, and the HNK Rijeka management accepted his resignation, and the model of terminating his contract will be agreed upon. Rožman arrived in Rijeka at the end of September 2019, after which he won the Croatian Cup in 2020. This season placed in the Europa League group stage, where he achieved remarkable results in the competition against Napoli, Real Sociedad, and AZ Alkmaar. HNK Rijeka wishes Simon all the best in the continuation of his career," reads the club's statement, as reported by Index.hr. 

The Slovene coach decided to leave Rijeka after another loss to Hajduk. 

"We had two unforced substitutions due to injuries. When I pulled Čerin out, our midfield fell. Hajduk used that. Then we gave everything in the attack. We can't even score from the penalty spot. We need to gather our heads; we need to rest. We gave everything we have; we were 'all in.’ We had 15 shots on target," he said after the loss.

Rožman took over Rijeka in September 2019 when he succeeded Igor Bišćan, who went to the U-21 national team. In the first season on the Rijeka bench, he won the Cup, beating Lokomotiva 1:0 in the final.

He was in third place in the championship, and as the winner of the Cup, he qualified for the Europa League, in which he first defeated the Ukrainian club Colossus and then the strong Copenhagen. Rijeka was drawn into a terribly difficult Europa League group with Napoli, Alkmaar, and Real Sociedad and won a respectable four points.

Eleven days ago, Rožman signed a new contract with Rijeka until 2024.

"Thanks to the club once again for their support, it means a lot to the entire professional staff, and I believe that together we can achieve our goals in the future. The wish of all of us in Rijeka is to continue on the same path. At this moment, the situation may not look the best, We thank the club for thinking the same way, and we all want to develop content on the field together, promote young players to be sustainable, but do not forget the result ambition which is always to try to win a trophy and play in European competitions," said Rožman at the time.

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

February 22, 2021 - The 22nd round of the Croatian First League was held from February 19 to 21, 2021. In this round, Osijek tops Rijeka 2:0 at City Garden Stadium. 

Slaven Belupo v. Sibenik (2:2)

Belupo and Sibenik opened the 22nd round on Friday, February 19, 2021, in Koprivnica. 

Ampem scored for the Sibenik lead in the 21st minute for 0:1, which Juric increased to 0:2 in the 39th minute. 

Knoll and Ilicic came back with goals for Belupo in the final minutes of the first half to equalize 2:2, which was the final result.

Belupo is currently in 8th place with 21 points, while Sibenik is in 6th with 25. 

Istra 1961 v. Varazdin (0:1)

Istra and Varazdin met on Saturday, February 20, 2021, in Pula. 

The first half went without goals as Istra's Loncar missed a penalty in the 32nd minute. The only goal of the match came in the 88th minute when Varazdin's Senic scored for 0:1, which was the final result. 

Istra is currently in last place with 14 points, while Varazdin is in 7th with 22. 

Lokomotiva v. Gorica (0:3)

Lokomotiva and Gorica met on Saturday, February 20, 2021, in Zagreb. 

Steenvoorden opened Gorica's scoring spree with an early goal in the 10th minute, which was the score going into the half. Dieye increased Gorica's lead to 0:2 in the 74th minute, and Mitrovic made it 0:3 less than 10 minutes later for 0:3. 

Lokomotiva is currently in 9th place with 18 points, while Gorica is in 3rd with 43. 

Osijek v. Rijeka (2:0)

Osijek and Rijeka closed out the 22nd round on Sunday, February 21, 2021, at City Garden Stadium. 

Osijek's Mierez scored the first goal of the match in the 25th minute for 1:0 at the half. Mierez increased Osijek's lead to 2:0 in the 69th minute, which was the final result. 

Osijek is currently in 2nd place with 48 points, while Rijeka is in 4th with 32. 

The eternal derby between Hajduk and Dinamo at Poljud was postponed as 12 Hajduk players are infected with COVID-19. The match will be played in the first possible free term, and the decision on the date will be made later. You can read more about the decision on Hajduk.hr. 

You can see the full HNL table HERE. 

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

 February 15, 2021 - The 21st round of the Croatian First League was held from February 12 to 14, 2021.  This round features the battle for first place, in which Dinamo tops Osijek, while COVID-19 rips through Hajduk, forcing the postponement of Hajduk v Slaven Belupo at Poljud.

Varazdin v. Lokomotiva (0:1)

Varazdin and Lokomotiva opened the 21st round on Friday, February 12, 2021, in Varazdin. 

The only goal of the match came thanks to a penalty in the 29th minute, which Pivaric scored for 0:1. Lokomotiva's Leksic was sent off in the 2nd minute of added time at the end of the match. 

Varazdin is currently in 8th place with 19 points, while Lokomotiva is in 9th with 18 points. 

Gorica v. Sibenik (1:0)

Gorica and Sibenik met in Velika Gorica on Saturday, February 13, 2021. 

While the first half went without goals, Babec scored for Gorica to make it 1:0 in the 71st minute, which was the final score of the match. 

Gorica is currently in 3rd place with 39 points, while Sibenik is in 6th with 24. 

Dinamo v. Osijek (1:0)

Dinamo and Osijek met for the highly anticipated derby on Saturday, February 13, 2021, at Maksimir Stadium. 

Yet another low-scoring match, the only goal came in the 15th minute thanks to Orsic, which give Dinamo the 1:0 victory. Ristovski received a red card in the 77th minute, forcing Dinamo to play with a man down for the remainder of the match. 

Dinamo is currently in 1st place with 48 points, while Osijek is in 2nd with 45. 

Rijeka v. Istra 1961 (1:1)

Rijeka and Istra closed out the 21st round at Rujevica Stadium on Sunday, February 14, 2021. 

Grzan gave Istra the early lead in the 6th minute, but only two minutes later, Rijeka's Muric came back to equalize for 1:1, which was the final score of the match. 

Rijeka is currently in 4th place with 31 points, while Istra is in last place with 14 points. 

Hajduk was ravaged by COVID-19, which forced the postponement of their match against Slaven Belupo at Poljud on Sunday. The biggest derby against Dinamo on February 21 is under question as well. 

The Split club announced that it would ask for the match to be postponed because as many as 20 of the 33 members who traveled to Osijek and Rijeka have been infected. Namely, 12 players and eight staff members are COVID-19 positive. 

Split epidemiologists will send samples to Zagreb on Monday to find out if it is a new strain of coronavirus, or the UK variant. 

You can see the full HNL table HERE. 

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

February 9, 2021 - The 20th round of the Croatian First League was held from February 6 to 8, 2021. Osijek tops Hajduk in this round, and Dinamo narrowly defeats Istra to remain in first place thanks to a better goal differential. 

Osijek v. Hajduk (2:0)

Osijek and Hajduk opened the 20th round at City Garden Stadium on Saturday, February 6, 2021. 

While the first half went without goals, a Hajduk red card for Mujakic in the 51st minute significantly changed the game, and Osijek's Kleinheisler scored for 1:0 in the 59th minute. Mierez increased Osijek's lead in the 89th minute for 2:0, which was the final score of the match. 

Osijek is currently in 2nd place with 45 points, while Hajduk is in 5th with 23.  

Lokomotiva v. Rijeka (2:3)

Lokomotiva and Rijeka met in Zagreb on Saturday, February 6, 2021. 

Lokomotiva was the first to score with a goal by Kallaku in the 11th minute. Pivaric increased Lokomotiva's lead to 2:0 from a penalty in the 56th minute. A red card for Cipetic began Lokomotiva's decline, and a penalty from Muric made it 2:1 in the 71st. Another penalty for Muric gave Rijeka the equalizer in the first minute of added time (90+1'), and Kulenovic scored two minutes later for the Rijeka win. 

Lokomotiva is currently in 9th place with 15 points, while Rijeka is in 4th with 30. 

Sibenik v. Varazdin (0:0)

Sibenik and Varazdin met on Sunday, February 7, 2021, in Sibenik. 

The match ended without goals.

Sibenik is currently in 6th place with 21 points, while Varazdin is in 8th with 19. 

Istra 1961 v. Dinamo (0:1)

Istra and Dinamo met on Sunday, February 7, 2021, in Pula. 

The only goal of the match came in the 36th minute when Atiemwen scored for 0:1, which was the final result. 

Istra is currently in last place with 13 points, while Dinamo is in first place with 45. 

Slaven Belupo v. Gorica (0:1) 

Slaven Belupo and Gorica closed out the 20th round on Monday, February 9, 2021, in Koprivnica. 

The only goal of the match came in the 59th minute when Lovric scored for the 0:1 win. 

Belupo is currently in 7th place with 20 points, while Gorica is in 3rd with 36. 

You can see the full HNL table HERE.

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

February 4, 2021 - The 19th round of the Croatian First League was held mid-week, on February 2 and 3, 2021. In this round, Hajduk tops Istra, and Osijek records a 3:0 win against Slaven Belupo.

Osijek v. Slaven Belupo (3:0)

Osijek and Belupo opened the 19th round at City Garden Stadium on Tuesday, February 2, 2021.

Brlek opened the scoring spree for Osijek with a goal just before the whistle blew for halftime (45+3'). A quick goal to start the second half by Zaper made it 2:0 in the 52nd minute, and 3:0 in the 55th minute thanks to Bohar. 

Osijek is currently in 2nd place with 42 points, while Belupo is in 6th place with 20. 

Dinamo v. Lokomotiva (2:0)

Dinamo and Lokomotiva met for the Zagreb derby on Tuesday, February 2, 2021, at Masksimir Stadium. 

Gavranovic scored an early goal for Dinamo in the 9th minute for the 1:0 lead, which was the score at the half. Atiemwen increased Dinamo's lead to 2:0 in the 64th minute, which was the final result.

Dinamo is currently in 1st place with 42 points, while Lokomotiva is in 9th with 15. 

Varazdin v. Gorica (2:1)

Varazdin and Gorica met in Varazdin on Wednesday, February 3, 2021. 

While Gorica had the lead going into the first half thanks to a goal by Lovric (0:1), Obregon equalized for Varazdin in the 76th minute, and in the 90th minute, Boban gave Varazdin the lead and ultimately the 2:1 win.

Varazdin is currently in 8th place with 18 points, while Gorica is in 3rd with 33. 

Rijeka v. Sibenik (2:2)

Rijeka and Sibenik met at Rujevica Stadium on Wednesday, February 3, 2021. 

Sibenik shocked Rijeka with two goals in the 27th and 32nd minutes by Sahiti and Juric. Pavicic scored for Rijeka in the 35th to make it 1:2. 

It was until the final minutes of the match when VAR ultimately ruled in Rijeka's favor, and after an 11-minute ordeal, Rijeka was awarded a penalty, which Andrijasevic scored for 2:2 (90+10'). 

Rijeka is currently in 4th place with 27 points, while Sibenik is in 7th with 20. 

Hajduk v. Istra 1961 (1:0)

Hajduk and Istra closed out the 19th round at Poljud Stadium on Wednesday, February 3, 2021. 

The only goal of the game came in the 16th minute when Nayir scored for Hajduk. The same player, unfortunately, missed a penalty 10 minutes later to increase Hajduk's lead. 

Hajduk is currently in 5th place with 23 points, while Istra is in the last place with 13. 

You can see the full HNL table HERE.

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

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February 1, 2021 - The 18th round of the Croatian First League was held from January 29 to 31, 2021. This round saw Dinamo, Hajduk, and Rijeka all record losses, while Sibenik, Lokomitva, and Gorica celebrated. 

Slaven Belupo v. Varazdin (2:0)

Belupo and Varazdin opened the 18th round on Friday, January 29, 2021, in Koprivnica. 

Galvcic scored the first goal for Belupo in the 15th minute for the 1:0 lead. Knoll increased Belupo's lead just before halftime for 2:0, which was the final result of the match. 

Belupo is currently in 5th place with 20 points, while Varzdin is in 8th place with 15 points. 

Osijek v. Istra 1961 (1:0)

Osijek and Istra met at City Garden Stadium on Saturday, January 30, 2021. 

Mierez scored the only goal for Osijek in the 30th minute, which was the final score of the match. 

Osijek is currently in 2nd place with 39 points, while Istra is in the last place with 13 points. 

Dinamo v. Sibenik (1:2)

Dinamo and Sibenik met at Maksimir Stadium on Saturday, January 30, 2021. 

Sahiti put Sibenik in the lead for 0:1 in the 13th minute. Dinamo's Atiemwen equalized for 1:1 less than 10 minutes later. Juric put Sibenik back in the lead for 1:2 in the 65th minute, which was the final result. 

Dinamo is currently in 1st place with 39 points, while Sibenik is in 7th with 19. 

Hajduk v. Lokomotiva (0:1)

Hajduk and Lokomotiva met at Poljud on Saturday, January 30, 2021. 

The only goal of the game came in the 4th minute - Petrak scored for the Lokomotiva win. Hajduk captain Mijo Caktas missed a penalty in the 50th to equalize. 

Hajduk is currently in 6th place with 20 points, while Lokomotiva is in 9th with 15. 

Rijeka v. Gorica (0:2)

Rijeka and Gorica closed out the 18th round on Sunday, January 31, 2021, at Rujevica Stadium.

An own goal by Andrijasevic put Gorica ahead in the 27th minute. Lovric increased Gorica's lead to 0:2 at the half. The match ended with a red card for Rijeka's Capan and Gorica's Moro in the 4th minute of added time (90+4').

Rijeka is currently in 4th place with 26 points, while Gorica is in 3rd with 33. 

You can see the full HNL table HERE.

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

January 25, 2021 - The 17th round of the Croatian First League was held from January 22 to 24, 2021. This round saw wins for Osijek, Dinamo, and Hajduk, while Rijeka suffered a surprising loss to Varazdin.  

Lokomotiva v. Osijek (0:3)

Lokomotiva and Osijek opened the 17th round on Friday, January 22, 2021, in Zagreb.  

Osijek’s Mierez scored two goals in the first half - the first in the 18th minute, followed by a penalty in the 35th minute for 0:2 at the half. 

A red card for Papadopoulos saw Lokomotiva play with 10 men from the 48th minute, and Bohar scored for Osijek 10 minutes later for the final score of 0:3. 

Lokomotiva is currently in the last place with 12 points, while Osijek is in 2nd with 36. 

Sibenik v Hajduk (0:1)

Sibenik and Hajduk met on Friday, January 22, 2021, in Sibenik.

While the first half went without goals, Teklic scored for Hajduk in the 62nd minute. Caktas missed a penalty to increase Hajduk’s lead in the final minutes (90+3’), and the match ended 0:1.

Sibenik is currently in 8th place with 13 points, while Hajduk is in 5th place with 20. 

Varazdin v. Rijeka (2:1)

Varazdin and Rijeka met on Saturday, January 23, 2021, in Varazdin. 

Urata scored an early goal for Varazdin for 1:0 in the 3rd minute. Obregon increased Varazdin’s lead to 2:0 at the half. Kulenovic slightly reduced Varazdin’s lead with a goal for Rijeka in the 80th minute. The game ended at 2:1. 

Varazdin is in 7th place with 15 points, while Rijeka is in 4th with 23. 

Gorica v. Dinamo (3:4)

Gorica and Dinamo met on Saturday, January 23, 2021, in Velika Gorica. 

Dieye scored Gorica’s first goal for 1:0 in the 11th minute, while Ivanusec equalized in the 34th for 1:1. Orsic scored for the Dinamo lead seven minutes later for 1:2, and just two minutes after that, Gorica’s Lovric equalized for 2:2 at the half. 

Spikic made it 3:2 for Gorica in the 61st minute, and a Petkovic penalty saw Dinamo equalize again in the 89th minute. Theophile-Catherine scored in the 5th minute of added time for the 3:4 Dinamo win. 

Gorica is currently in 3rd place with 30 points, while Dinamo is in first with 36. 

Istra 1961 v. Slaven Belupo (2:1)

Istria and Belupo closed out the 17th round in Pula on Sunday, January 24, 2021. 

Glavcic put Belupo in the lead in the 10th minute, which was the result going into halftime. Spoljaric equalized thanks to a penalty in the 81st minute for 1:1, before scoring again in the first minute of added time for the 2:1 Istra win. 

Istra is currently in 9th place with 13 points, while Belupo is in 6th place with 17.  

You can see the full HNL table HERE.

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

January 18, 2021 - Paolo Tramezzani is the new coach of Hajduk!

Hajduk.hr announced on Monday that the 50-year-old Italian expert signed a contract until the summer of 2022 and will take over the management of the first team immediately.

The new Hajduk coach was born on July 30, 1970 in the city of Castelnovo ne ’Monti, and began his playing career at Inter Milan. In addition to Inter, he played for Prato, Cosezna, Lucchese, Venezia, Cesena, Piacenza, Tottenham, Pistoiese, Atalanta, Empoli and Pro Patria.

He began his coaching career as the assistant coach of Gianni de Biasi in the national team of Albania, which then qualified for the European Championship for the first time in history. He continued on his own in 2016 as the coach of the Swiss first league side Lugano, and under his leadership, the club qualified the group stage of the Europa League for the first time in history. Lugano was at the bottom of the league table and eventually finished third with an average of 1.94 points scored that season, which is why he was named coach of the year in Switzerland.

In 2017, Tramezzani took over the leadership of Swiss first league team Sion and later left for personal reasons. In 2018, he took over APOEL in Cyprus, with which he became the champion, and in Cyprus, he was named the best coach of the first league with an average of 2.16 points. After APOEL, in 2019, he took over the Italian second division team Livorno, and his last coaching job was in 2020 in Sion.

Tramezzani's coaching staff will also include his first assistant Attila Malfatti and assistant coach Valerio Zuddas, and the rest of the professional staff will be filled by two fitness coaches who have already participated in the work of the first team, Toni Modrić and Šime Veršić, assistant coach Toni Golem and goalkeeper coach Hrvoje Sunara.

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