August 9, 2021 - The 4th round of the Croatian First League was held on August 7 and 8, 2021. This round saw Hajduk beat Gorica in their first away victory in Velika Gorica, while Dinamo and Rijeka postponed their 4th round matches due to European commitments. Here's our HNL round 4 recap. 

Slaven Belupo v. Šibenik (1:1)

Belupo and Šibenik opened the 4th round on Saturday, August 7, 2021, in Koprivnica. 

Jakoliš scored for the Šibenik lead in the 33rd minute for 0:1 at the half. Belupo's Monjac equalized for 1:1 in the 88th to end the match in a draw. 

 

Belupo is currently in 6th place with 5 points, while Šibenik is in 9th with one point. Both teams have played 4 games so far. 

Gorica v. Hajduk (1:3)

Gorica and Hajduk met in Velika Gorica on Saturday, August 7, 2021, in front of 1,576 spectators. 

Mlakar scored for the Hajduk lead in the 33rd minute, before Vuković made it 0:2 right before the half. Lovrić came back to give Gorica a goal in the 56th minute for 1:2, but Livaja secured Hajduk's victory in the final minutes for 1:3. 

 

Gorica is currently in 5th place with 6 points, while Hajduk is in 3rd with 7. Both teams have played 4 games so far. 

Hr. Dragovoljac v. Osijek (1:2)

Dragovoljac and Osijek closed out the 4th round on Sunday, August 8, 2021, at NŠC Stjepan Spajić Stadium in Zagreb. 

Mance put Osijek in the lead with an early goal in the 13th minute. Majstorovic equalized for Dragovoljac thanks to a penalty in the 55th minute for 1:1. Nejasmic put Osijek back in the lead in the 75th minute for 1:2, which was the final score of the match. 

 

Dragovoljac is currently in the last place with 0 points, while Osijek is in 1st with 10. Both teams have played 4 games so far. 

**Dinamo and Rijeka postponed their 4th round HNL matches, however, they won't be able to do the same for much longer. Namely, postponement is allowed thanks to Article 4 of the Croatian Football Federation's competition propositions. In the play-off qualifying round, they will no longer be entitled to postponing their HNL games. 

"The propositions of the competition say that each club has the right to postpone one game of the First HNL while playing qualifiers for European competitions, and another match later if it is a participant in the group stage. Due to the tight schedule, Dinamo and Rijeka asked to postpone the 4th round of the domestic championship and they got it," said Josip Brezni, the competition commissioner.

You can see the full HNL table HERE.

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August 2, 2021 - The 3rd round of the Croatian First League was held from July 30 to August 1, 2021. Here's our HNL round 3 recap. 

Lokomotiva v. Hr. Dragovoljac (3:2)

Lokomotiva and Hr. Dragovojlac opened the 3rd round of the Croatian First League on Friday, July 20, 2021, in Zagreb. 

While Dragovoljac initially took the lead for 0:1 in the 14th minute, an own goal by Valentić equalized for Lokomotiva in the 40th for 1:1 at the half. Milicevic scored for the Lokomotiva lead in the 53rd minute for 2:1, and Kacavenda made it 3:1 in the 80th. Bagadur came back with a goal for Dragovoljac at 3:2 in the 87th minute, which was the final score of the match. 

 

Lokomotiva is currently in 3rd place with 7 points, while Dragovoljac is in last with 0. 

Istra 1961 v. Gorica (1:2)

Istra and Gorica met in Pula on Saturday, July 31, 2021. 

Lovric scored for the Gorica lead in the 19th minute for 0:1 at the half. After their second goal was called back thanks to VAR, Dieye scored for 0:2 in the 67th minute. Bande scored one goal for Istra in the 4th minute of added time for the final score of 1:2. 

 

Istra is currently in 8th place with 3 points, while Gorica is in 4th with 6. 

Hajduk v. Šibenik (1:0)

Hajduk and Šibenik met at Poljud Stadium on Sunday, August 1, 2021. 

After being knocked out of the new UEFA Europa Conference League, Hajduk redeemed themselves with their first league win thanks to an Eduok goal in the 27th minute for 1:0, which was the final score of the match. 

 

Hajduk is currently in 7th place with 4 points,  while Šibenik is in 9th with 0. 

Osijek v. Slaven Belupo (0:0)

Osijek and Belupo met at City Garden Stadium on Sunday, August 1, 2021. 

Neither team was able to score, and the match finished 0:0.

Osijek is currently in 2nd place with 7 points, while Belupo is in 6th with 4. 

Dinamo v. Rijeka (3:3)

Dinamo and Rijeka closed out the 3rd round at Maksimir Stadium on Sunday, August 2, 2021. 

Peric opened with an early goal for the Dinamo lead in the 9th minute, though Abass equalized for Rijeka to make it 1:1 in the 23rd minute. Majer put Dinamo back in the lead with a goal 10 minutes later for 2:1. Rijeka surprised with two goals to end the half thanks to Abass in the 38th and Drmic in the 43rd to make it 2:3 for Rijeka at the half. Orsic equalized for Dinamo in the 59th minute for the final score of 3:3. 

 

Dinamo is currently in 5th place with 4 points, while Rijeka is in 1st with 7. 

You can see the full HNL table HERE. 

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

To learn more about sport in Croatia, CLICK HERE.