August 19, 2019 - The 5th round of the Croatian First League was held from August 16 to 18, 2019, and saw Hajduk humiliate an otherwise strong Gorica to hold their second-place spot on the table. 

Inter Zaprešić v. Dinamo (1:2)

Inter and Dinamo opened the 5th round on Friday, August 16, 2019, at the Zaprešić stadium in front of 2,686 spectators. 

Inter was the first to score thanks to a goal by Tsonev in the 8th minute, though Dinamo's Atiemwen equalized just before the half for 1:1. Inter’s Galić was shown a red card in the 49th minute, and Dinamo quickly capitalized on the extra man as Atiemwen scored again for 1:2 in the 50th minute. The game ended at 1:2.

Inter is currently in 9th place with 2 points, while Dinamo is in 1st with 13. 

Varaždin v. Lokomotiva (1:1)

Varaždin met at the NK Varteks stadium on Saturday, August 17, 2019, in front of 2,231 spectators. 

Glavica scored for the Varaždin lead in the 44th minute for 1:0 at the half, though Lokomotiva equalized in the 56th minute from a goal by Uzuni for 1:1, which was the final score of the game. 

Varaždin is currently in the last place with 2 points, while Lokomotiva is in 8th with 4. 

Istra 1961 v. Slaven Belupo (2:3)

Istria and Belupo met on Saturday, August 17, 2019, at the Aldo Drosina Stadium in Pula in front of 2,027 spectators.

Krstanović scored for the Belupo lead in the 12th minute,  though Gržan scored a penalty to equalize 3 minutes later for 1:1. Istra then took the lead thanks to a goal by Regan in the 35th minute, though Belupo equalized just 7 minutes later for 2:2 at the half. 

Puclin scored for Belupo in the 60th minute for a final score of 2:3. 

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

Hajduk v. Gorica (3:0)

Hajduk and Gorica met on Sunday, August 18, 2019, at Poljud stadium in front of 14,054 spectators. 

Jairo scored for Hajduk to make it 1:0 in the 30th minute, which was the score at the half. Gorica was given a red card in the 60th minute, forcing the visiting team to play with a man down for the rest of the game.

In the 67th minute, Jairo increased Hajduk’s lead and his number of goals to 2:0, and just two minutes later, Hajduk defender Josip Juranović made it 3:0, which was the final score of the game. 

Hajduk is currently in 2nd place with 12 points, while Gorica is in 5th with 7. 

Rijeka v. Osijek (1:1)

Rijeka and Osijek met on Sunday, August 19, 2019, to close out the 5th round at Rujevica stadium.

Rijeka’s Čolak put the home team in the lead at 1:0 in the 34th minute. It wasn’t until the 86th minute that Žaper equalized for Osijek to end the game 1:1. 

Rijeka is currently in 3rd place with 10 points, while Osijek is in 4th with 8.

You can see the full HNL table here. 

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

August 16, 2019 - A guide to some of the best things going on in Split this weekend.

We welcome yet another summer weekend in Split with a growing list of things to do. Sunny and hot weather will prevail throughout Dalmatia on Friday, with air temperatures ranging between 21 and 25°C in the morning and between 27 and 30°C in the hottest part of the day. Similar weather conditions are expected on Saturday when it will be mostly sunny and very warm all over Dalmatia - and on Sunday? No different, though temperatures could reach up to 31°C. 

So, how will you choose to spend your weekend in Split? We thought we’d help you out. Here’s our guide to Split’s top events this weekend, from Friday, August 16 to 18, 2019. 

Riva

If you’re looking for live music, you’re in luck as the Split Summer Colors event is ongoing on Split's waterfront promenade.

16.08. Friday at 8:30 pm
A Weekend of Classic Music, Spalato quartet

17.08. Saturday at 8:30 pm
A Weekend of Classical Music Forever, Stefan Kokoškov

18.08. Sunday at 8:30 pm
POP ART group

Dardin

And if that doesn’t interest you? Head to Dardin park for the Evo Ruke concert series. 

16.08. Friday at 9:30 pm

Teška Odluka, Split

17.08. Saturday at 9:30 pm

Behave, Zagreb

18.08. Sunday at 9:30 pm

Combo Project, Split 

Bačvice

And if you aren’t up for live music but still want to enjoy some outside entertainment, the open-air cinema at Bačvice has a new schedule for the upcoming week. 

16.08. Friday at 8:30 pm

The Little Mermaid (in Croatian only)

17.08. Saturday at 9 pm

Woodstock (in English with Croatia subtitles) 

18.08. Sunday at 9 pm

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (in English with Croatian subtitles)

Or you’re looking for some of the city’s best entertainment, head to Poljud Stadium on Sunday at 6 pm when Hajduk faces Gorica for the 5th round clash in the Croatian First League! 

And for those of you looking to party until the early morning hours, check out this weekend's events at Info Zona.

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

August 12, 2019 - The 4th round of the Croatia First League was held from August 9 to 11, 2019. The 4th round saw a derby between Osijek and Dinamo, and Rijeka and Hajduk recorded their first defeats. 

Osijek v. Dinamo (0:0)

Osijek and Dinamo opened the 4th round on Friday, August 9, 2019, at City Garden Stadium in front of 5,127 fans. 

It was a mostly even game where both teams had periods of strength and opportunities to score, which they failed to capitalize. Osijek, however, missed too many easy shots on goal in, which should have put them in the lead on a handful of occasions. 

Osijek is currently in 5th place with 7 points, while Dinamo remains in 1st place with 10 points. 

Inter Zaprešić v. Varaždin (2:2)

Inter and Varaždin met on Saturday, August 10, 2019, in Zaprešić in front of 484 spectators. 

Inter opened the scoring spree in the 15th minute with a goal by Bosec, though Varaždin equalized just 7 minutes later after Stolnik scored for 1:1. Inter retook the lead in the 28th minute for 2:1 at the half. Just minutes after, Varaždin’s Sambolec was booked for a double yellow and sent off the pitch. Glavica then scored for Varaždin to equalize in the 54th minute. The game ended at 2:2. 

Inter is currently in 9th place with two points, while Varaždin is in the last place with one. 

Lokomotiva v. Istra 1961 (4:1)

Lokomotiva and Istra met at Kranjčevićeva Street on Saturday, August 10, 2019, in front of 522 fans. 

Lokomotiva scored two goals in the first half - by Datković in the 34th and Ivanušec in the 38th for 2:0 at the half. Ćuže came back with one goal for Istra in the 79th minute for 2:1, though Drozdek and Kastrati secured another two for Lokomotiva in two minutes. The game ended at 4:1. 

Lokomotiva is in 7th place with 3 points, while Istra is in 6th with 6. 

Slaven Belupo v. Hajduk (2:1)

Belupo and Hajduk met on Sunday, August 11, 2019, in Koprivnica in front of 2,879 spectators. 

Puclin scored first to put Belupo in the lead in the 37th minute for 1:0 at the half. Hajduk’s Jakoliš was shown a red card in the 56th minute, forcing the Split club to play with a man down for the remainder of the game. Belupo also saw one of their players get booked for a double yellow in the 79th minute. 

Krstanović scored a penalty for Belupo in the 84th minute for 2:0, though Eduok managed one for Hajduk in the 6th minute of injury time for the final score of 2:1. 

Belupo is currently in 8th place with 3 points, while Hajduk is in 2nd with 9 points. 

Gorica v. Rijeka (2:0)

Gorica and Rijeka met on Sunday, August 11, 2019, to close out the 4th round in Velika Gorica in front of 2,893 spectators. 

Ndiaye scored for Gorica in the 46th minute for 1:0 at the half. Suk increased Gorica’s lead in the 67th minute for 2:0, which was the final score of the game. 

Gorica is currently in 4th place with 7 points, while Rijeka is in 3rd with 9. 

You can see the full HNL table here. 

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

August 4, 2019 - The 3rd round of the Croatian First League was held from August 2 to 4, 2019. Each 3rd round victory achieved by Osijek, Hajduk, Dinamo, Rijeka, and Istria featured three goals.

Dinamo v. Gorica (3:1)

Dinamo and Gorica opened the 3rd round of the Croatian First League on Friday, August 2, 2019, in front of 2,676 spectators at Maksimir stadium in Zagreb. 

Spanish superstar Dani Olmo scored for Dinamo first in the 22nd minute for 1:0 at the half. Moro increased Dinamo’s lead in the 57th minute for 2:0, while Gojak made it 3:0 in the 83rd minute. Lovrić managed to score Gorica’s only goal in the 86th minute. 

Dinamo is currently in first place with 9 points while Gorica is in 6th place with 4 points. 

Istria 1961 v. Varaždin (3:1)

Istria and Varaždin met for the second game of the 3rd round on Friday, August 2, 2019, in front of 1,922 spectators at Aldo Drosina stadium in Pula. 

Ćuže scored for Istria already in the 9th minute of the game for 1:0, which was the score at halftime. Ćuže came back with another goal in the 48th minute for 2:0, though a penalty was awarded to Varaždin ten minutes later to bring the score to a less comfortable 2:1 for Istria. 

Ćuže, however, saved the day with a hattrick and his third goal in the 73rd minute for the 3:1 Istria win. 

Istria is currently in 5th place with 6 points while Varaždin is in 8th with 0. 

Rijeka v. Slaven Belupo (3:1)

Rijeka and Slaven Belupo met at Rujevica stadium on Saturday, August 3, 2019, in front of 4,289 spectators. 

Čolak opened the game with a goal for Rijeka in the 24th minute, which was followed with one by Lončar in the 30th for 2:0 at the half. Krstanović managed a goal for Belupo in the 47th minute, though Rijeka secured their victory in the 73rd minute after Tomečak scored for 3:1. 

Rijeka is currently in 3rd place with 9 points while Belupo is in 9th place with 0. 

Hajduk v. Lokomotiva (3:0)

Hajduk and Lokomotiva met at Poljud stadium in Split on Sunday,  August 4, 2019, in front of 15,156 spectators. 

Hajduk’s first goal came in the 40th minute after a brilliant assist by Eduok found the boot of Caktaš for 1:0. Just three minutes later, Eduok scored a goal of his own for 2:0 at the half. 

But Hajduk wasn’t done scoring yet, and Nejašmić hit a rocket for 3:0, which was the final score of the game. 

Hajduk is currently in 2nd place with 9 points while Lokomotiva is in the last place with 0. 

Osijek v. Inter Zaprešić (3:1)

Osijek and Inter met on Sunday, August 4, 2019, in front of 1,855 spectators at City Garden Stadium to close out the 3rd round. 

While Inter was the first to score thanks to a goal by Serderov in the 20th minute, Osijek picked up the pace in the second for two goals in two minutes to take the lead (Bočkaj 68’, Kleinheisler 69’). 

Mance secured Osijek’s win in the 75th minute for 3:1. 

Osijek is currently in 4th place with 6 points while Inter is in 7th with 1. 

You can find the full HNL table here. 

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

The 2nd round of the Croatian First League was held from July 26 to 28, 2019, and featured big wins for Hajduk and Dinamo, while Osijek suffered a major upset to Gorica. 

Inter Zaprešić v. Istria 1961 (0:2)

Inter and Istria met on Friday, July 26, 2019, at the Zaprešić stadium to open the 2nd round of the 2019/20 season. 

While the first half went without goals, Istria’s Cuze scored in the 83rd minute for the 0:1 lead, and increased the lead in the 93rd minute for the 0:2 Istria win.

Inter is currently in 7th place with one point, while Istria is in 6th with 3 points. 

Slaven Belupo v. Dinamo Zagreb (0:3)

Belupo and Dinamo met on Saturday, July 27, 2019, in Koprivnica for the second game of the 2nd round in front of 2,517 spectators. 

Dinamo’s Petković was quick to score in the 4th minute for a 0:1 Dinamo lead. Atiemwen increased Dinamo’s lead to 0:2 five minutes before the half. Dinamo secured one last goal in the 89th minute thanks to Moro, and walked away with a 0:3 victory. 

Belupo is currently in the last place with 0 points, while Dinamo is in 1st place with 6 points. 

Lokomotiva v. Rijeka (0:1)

Lokomotiva and Rijeka met on Saturday, July 27, 2019, at Kranjčevićeva stadium in Zagreb in front of 829 fans. 

The game went without goals until the final minutes when Rijeka’s Čolak scored in the second minute of added time for the 0:1 win. 

Lokomotiva is currently in 9th place with no points, while Rijeka is in 3rd with 6 points. 

Gorica v. Osijek (3:1)

Gorica and Osijek met on Sunday, July 28, 2019, in Velika Gorica in front of 1,280 spectators. 

Gorica was the first to score in the 35th minute thanks to a goal by Ndiaye for 1:0 at the half. Miya increased Gorica’s lead to 2:0 in the 53rd minute,  and Ndiaye came back with his second goal of the match for 3:0 in the 75th minute! While there was not much hope for Osijek, they were able to get one goal in the 90th minute thanks to Marić. 

Gorica is currently in 4th place with 4 points, while Osijek is in 5th place with 3 points. 

Varaždin v. Hajduk (0:3)

Varaždin and Hajduk met on Sunday, July 27, 2019, to close out the 2nd round at the NK Varteks stadium in front of 5,132 spectators. 

While the first half went without goals, Hajduk pressed in the second half to score all three goals of the game - the first by Dolček in the 49th minute, then a Caktaš penalty in the 55th, and a debut goal for new Hajduk player Eduok in the 86th for 0:3. 

Varaždin is currently in 8th place with zero points, while Hajduk is in 2nd with 6 points. 

You can find the full HNL table here.

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

July 19, 2019 - Not even 24 hours after Hajduk lost to Gzira United and dropped out of the Europa League in the first round, the club announced that its cooperation with coach Siniša Oreščanin has been terminated.

Oreščanin took over Hajduk at the end of November 2018 and led them to fourth place at the end of the season. His final game leading Hajduk was on Thursday at Poljud against the Maltese club Gzira United (1:3). Before taking over the Hajduk A team, he worked at Hajduk’s “Luka Kaliterna" Academy.

Hajduk thanks Oreščanin for everything he has done for the club and wishes him a lot of luck in his career.

The president of the club Marin Brbić, Vice President Luka Jakobušić, Benjamin Perasovic, President of the Supervisory Board, and Sports Director Saša Bjelanovic led the press conference on Friday afternoon, where they announced that a new coach would be named on Saturday at the team training. The media has speculated that it would be former Hajduk coach Damir Burić.

Hajduk president Marin Brbić and sports director Saša Bjelanović offered their resignation, though they were rejected.

"I have to apologize to all the Hajduk fans for this blow. I fully understand the anger of the fans. I am the most responsible person. I made a compromise and I'm aware that I made a mistake. Last night we did not want to make decisions. I made this mandate available to the Supervisory Board this morning. I wanted to say that. what I did with the coach I did not do well. NO has confidence in me again and because of these people, I have decided to continue the job, because I think we have moved in the right direction. We have started the process, we have a clear goal, which is entering the qualification for the Champions League. If we see that we cannot do this, we will leave the club. Everyone who does not want to go with us must go,” President Brbić said.

"I think the coach underestimated the opponent. We had a few starters on the bench. If we played with the first team, we’d win ten out of ten games. But we lost the most important one. Oreščanin was given a contract termination because of bad results. This is an opponent who was not equal. We had to win against them. We all think this is the toughest defeat in the history of the club. That defeat will mark us permanently. Both us and the trainers," he added.

More soon…

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

July 18, 2019 - It was the biggest embarrassment for Hajduk Split in their long history of the Europa League. After a 0:2 victory against Gzira United in Malta, Hajduk managed to lose 1:3 in the return match of the first round of the Europa League qualifiers, in front of over 18,000 of their fans at Poljud stadium in Split. 

Hajduk’s Europa League campaign this season is now over. An outcome not even the most pessimistic Hajduk fan could have anticipated. 

Hajduk fan group Torcida charged the pitch after the game and chased after Hajduk players before the police intervened. An incident in the West Stands also broke out, and dozens of seats were pulled from the North Stands and thrown onto the pitch. It was bound to be an ugly night in Split. 

Hajduk coach Siniša Oreščanin made questionable decisions with the lineup on Thursday, as if the victory in Malta was enough to carry the team through so they could prepare for their first Croatian League match against Istria. What a mistake that was in the end. 

At the Hajduk press conference after the game, which didn’t begin for nearly an hour after the final whistle blew, the Gzira coach - as well as 99% of journalists in the room - was in shock. 

“I can’t believe we did this against a big club like Hajduk,” the Gzira coach expressed. 

While his reaction was expected, we couldn’t imagine how Oreščanin would explain this defeat. 

"We went into the first half well, but our mindset fell in the second half, and we conceded two goals after interruptions. No one expected this," said Oreščanin. "That's sport; it will go on." 

Answering a German journalist's question of what he has to say about the fan reaction after the game, Oreščanin responded briefly: "That's Hajduk." 

Whether Oreščanin will resign is still unknown, as he revealed he would need to speak to the club first and take the next steps accordingly. 

Hajduk will open the Croatian First League against Istria on Sunday, though the atmosphere around the club is looking anything but bright. 

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

July 18, 2019 - Hajduk Split and Gzira United met in the second leg of the Europa League qualifiers on Thursday night at Poljud Stadium in Split. 

After Hajduk won 0:2 against Gzira United in Ta’Qali, Malta for the first leg of their Europa League qualifications, the two teams met again one week later in the sunny city of Split.

Hajduk featured a different lineup than the game in Malta, and instead came out with Duka, Lopez, Barry, Svatok, Beširović, Delić, Jairo, Bašić, Dolček, Tahiraj, and Jradi for the starting 11. 

While Hajduk fans don't need much reason to make the trip to Poljud, because it was their first home game of the new season, almost 20,000 spectators were expected to fill the stadium - and over 14,000 tickets were sold by 2 pm on game day! The final attendance was 18,326.

The game began at 8 pm and Hajduk came out with momentum. It didn't take long for the Split club to thank their fans for the support after Jradi scored for 1:0 in the 7th minute! 

Gzira was not able to do much against Hajduk in the first 20 minutes and had their first shot on goal only then. Hajduk, however, found ways into the box and had a few chances which hit just wide of the goal. 

In the 29th minute, Hajduk had another golden opportunity from a free-kick outside the penalty area, which Lopez made difficult for the Gzira goalkeeper. Delić hit just over the crossbar moments later. The first half ended 1:0 for Hajduk. 

Gzira seemed to pick up the pace at the start of the second half, though they were unable to capitalize on their few chances. Hajduk's first real chance of the second half was from Tahiraj, though he shanked his shot far from the goal. 

But Gzira's momentum carried them past the Hajduk defense to equalize in the 57th minute. Jefferson scored for 1:1. 

Hajduk had a chance to retake the lead in the 59th minute, but a deflection resulted in a corner instead. Delić had a chance minutes later, but hit wide again - and just minutes after that, Juranović hit the post! 

In the 67th minute, the Gzira goalkeeper denied Hajduk another opportunity in front of the goal, and it was Gzira to capitalize just two minutes later when Kone scored for 1:2. 

Delić once again had the chance to save the day after a brilliant Jurić attack but took one touch too many. Hajduk was pressing but failing to make any gains. 

Six minutes of extra time were added and the game took a nasty turn. Gzira scored in the final 30 seconds for 1:3. With this loss, Hajduk is out of Europa League. 

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

Football club Hajduk Split played their first Europa League qualifier against Malta club Gzira United after 29 days of preparations. The first qualifying round was played on artificial turf in Ta' Qali.

Hajduk opened the start of a new European season with a 0:2 win against Gzira United in the first qualifying round at the Centenary stadium in Ta 'Qali, Malta, reports Gol.hr on July 9, 2019.

Siniša Oreščanin’s team managed to secure the victory with goals by Adam Gyurcso in the 44th minute and Ivan Dolček in the fifth minute of injury time. 

Hajduk dominated the first minute but was unable to break through Gzira’s defense in the first half, which ended without goals.

Hajduk’s first real chance was in the 37th minute when Jradi passed two players to find Gyurcso, who missed the goal by 10 meters. Three minutes later, Jurić cut the ball from the right and shot from 20 meters but was also unlucky. 

Hajduk finally had their chance in the 44th minute thanks to a penalty which Gyurcso scored after his shot bounced back off the side post. 

Hajduk could have increased their lead in the 69th minute, though Hamza and Dolček were unable to realize their chances. However, seconds before the final whistle and five minutes into injury time, substitute Ivan Dolček increased Hajduk’s lead to 0:2, which was the final score of the game.

Hajduk arrived in Malta on Sunday and held one official training on Monday evening, and was welcomed by hot and muggy weather, with a temperature of 37 degrees Celsius. The club also arrived in Malta without a few sound names. Namely, Oreščanin could not count on captain Josip Juranović, Mijo Caktaš and Josip Posavec who received an extended rest after the U21 European Championship. 

The second leg is scheduled for July 18th at Poljud. If Hajduk moves forward,  they will play in the second qualifying round against the winner of Latvian club Ventspils and Albanian club Teuta.

More soon...

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

July 3, 2019 - Just before the start of the new season, fans of Hajduk were presented the club’s new, third reserve kit. 

While we know that the home kit is always white and the away kit a mix of blue and red, which are the traditional colors of the Split club, the third, reserve kit this season will feature the shades of light purple, or in other words, lavender. It is an ode the Hajduk’s beginnings, in particular, 1912 and 1913, when the first jersey was the same color. Recall, in recent years, the third kit has been grey or black.

Hajduk revealed the change to their fans on Wednesday. 

"The third Hajduk jersey for the 2019/2020 season was inspired by the beginning of the club's activities, more precisely, 1912. After the team formed, they immediately started with the first game. In 1912, goals were set up at Stari Plac for the first time and the team played in purple t-shirts and white trousers

It can be said that it is a jersey of lavender, one of the most recognizable symbols of the Mediterranean. The legendary Luka Kaliterna defended the net of the first team then, and Nikola Gazdić, the first Hajduk footballer to score more than 100 goals for Hajduk, made his debut.

Today, 107 years later, HNK Hajduk presents an almost replica lavender jersey from this important period of the club’s formation, this time created in cooperation with our technical sponsor - Macron, and in which the Hajduk HNK players will play some of their matches in the season ahead. The top is lavender, and the pants are white with motifs of lavender,” Hajduk said on their website. 

The third jersey is retro, decorated with a white polo collar and white embroidered sleeves. On the right side of the chest is Macron Hero, the new icon of the technical sponsor, while on the left is the Hajduk coat of arms. 

The away jersey, or Hajduk’s backup jersey for the 2019/2020 season, also experienced a change inspired by history. Namely, it pays homage to 1971, which has great significance in the club’s history - it is the year that Hajduk won the championship for the first time after a 16-year dry spell. Then, Hajduk’s tops were red and blue with narrow stripes.

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