December 6, 2019 - The Croatian Football Federation (HNS) has fulfilled all obligations required to start using the VAR (Video Assistant Referee) system in Croatian football.

The Croatian Football Federation has completed all activities and referee training to introduce VAR technology into Croatian football, which is funded through the FIFA Forward program.

Namely, eleven Assistant Video Referees (VARs), thirteen Assistant VARs (AVARs), sixteen VAR Match Referees and five technicians have been trained.

Ante Kulušić, President of the HNS Football Referees Commission and VAR Project Manager for Croatia, submitted all final documentation, including a competition permission request to the International Football Federation Board (IFAB) and the World Football Federation (FIFA).

This fulfills all the obligations of the Croatian Football Federation necessary to start using the VAR technology in Croatian football.

"Congratulations to all who have participated in this challenging and extensive project and thanks to the Croatian Football Federation and Fifa for their great support. A lot of resources, effort and time have been put into the training, and we look forward to a positive IFAB response and the go-ahead to use VAR, as announced, from the spring part of the Croatian championship,” said Kulušić, who is also the vice president of HNS.

Recall, back in May this year, selected referees underwent complex training under the watchful eye of IFAB, an independent regulatory body that determines the Laws of the Game of association football, so that VAR would be ready to use in Croatian football in a year. 

"VAR technology is the most important and fastest revolution in modern football. It was used for the first time in 2016 and has been used in the most important games of the 2018  World Cup. Our vision for VAR technology and video aids is as little interference in the game as possible," IFAB Technical Director and former English football referee David Elleray said at the presentation of VAR technology in Sesvete then. 

All involved in this project agreed; the introduction of VAR technology is the most demanding project of HNS. Disagreements with referees, which have hovered over the Federation for years, generated many affairs that would have been minimized by introducing VAR.

The VAR room will include only the VAR Chief Referee, AVAR or Assistant Referee, and VAR Technician. 

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

December 2, 2019 - Fourteen thousand lucky Croatia fans will be able to support the national team in their opening match of the Euros against England at Wembley. 

On Saturday, November 30, UEFA announced the number of tickets available for the European Championships next summer. 

“Fans of the 20 countries that have already qualified for UEFA EURO 2020 will be able to apply for tickets to watch their teams’ games when they go on sale exclusively at EURO2020.com on Wednesday 4 December at 14:00 CET. 

Supporters will have until 14:00 CET on 18 December to snap up these must-have tickets for the tournament, which celebrates 60 years of the UEFA European Football Championship, with the final at the world’s most famous football ground, Wembley Stadium in London. 

Supporters of the four teams who qualify through the European Qualifiers play-offs will be able to apply for tickets shortly after the completion of these matches, which will be played from 26 to 31 March 2020. 

Over half the tickets being made available for all games will be in the cheapest price category, with prices for group stage matches starting at €30 (in Baku, Bucharest and Budapest) and €50 in the other host cities. 

This latest round of sales follows the hugely successful general public ticket sales in summer 2019, when 19.3 million ticket requests were received between 12 June and 12 July 2019 for the 1.5 million tickets on offer. 

UEFA EURO 2020 is the biggest UEFA European Football Championship ever, with over 3 million tickets available, 82% of which are allocated to all fans,”  UEFA announced in a press release. 

Thus, Croatia and England fans will receive 28,000 tickets for the first-round match of Group D in London. There will be 14,000 tickets for Croatia fans for the first round of the Euros, scheduled for June 14 at Wembley Stadium in London. 

Niksa Martinac of HNS ticket distribution explained how things would work to 24 Sata. 

“The federations of the national teams playing each other will share the tickets available for the fans 50-50, with England as the host receiving 1,000 more tickets,” Martinac explained.

Applications for Croatia fans begin on December 4 and end on December 18. A quarter of the tickets held by HNS, which would mean 2,500 tickets for Glasgow, go to those who are old customers' through HNS, that is, those who have purchased tickets in the last three cycles - qualifications and Euros in France, qualifications and World Cup in Russia, and the Nations League. Those not included in that quarter enter the lottery, and everything goes through UEFA.

By the end of January, all those who have applied will be notified. Those who are not selected in the lottery will have a chance if someone fails to pay,” explains Martinac.

Croatia fans will receive 14,000 for the match against England and 10,000 tickets for the matches in Glasgow. The first category of tickets costs 185 euro, the second category 125, and the third category 50 euro.

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

December 2, 2019 - The 17th round of the Croatian First League was held from November 29 to December 1, 2019. This round featured the highly anticipated Adriatic Derby between Hajduk and Rijeka. 

Slaven Belupo v. Inter Zapresic (3:0)

Belupo and Inter opened the 17th round on Friday, November 29, 2019, in Koprivnica in front of 783 spectators. 

Belupo scored their first goal in the 15th minute thanks to Nowak, and Krstanovic increased the lead to 2:0 in the 26th minute. Mikulic scored in the 66th for 3:0, which was the final score of the game.

Belupo is currently in 7th place with 18 points, while Inter is in the last place with 11. 

Lokomotiva v. Gorica (4:0) 

Lokomotiva and Gorica met in Zagreb on Friday, November 29, 2019, in front of 583 spectators. 

Goals by Kastrati and Uzuni in the 40th and 41st minutes had Lokomotiva up 2:0 at the half. An own goal by Marina increased Lokomotiva’s lead to 3:0 in the 63rd minute, and Tolic ended the scoring spree in the 79th minute for 4:0. 

Lokomotiva is currently in 4th place with 28 points, while Gorica is in 6th with 25. 

Varazdin v.Osijek (1:1)

Varazdin and Osijek met on Saturday, November 30, 2019, at NK Varteks Stadium in front of 1,270 fans. 

Maric scored just before halftime to put Osijek in the lead, though Varazdin found a way to equalize thanks to a Glavica goal in the 77th minute for 1:1. 

Varazdin is currently in 9th place with 12 points, while Osijek is in 5th with 27.

Istra 1961 v. Dinamo (1:2)

Istra and Dinamo met on Saturday,  November 30, 2019, in Pula in front of 2,462 fans. 

Kadzior scored the first goal of the game for the 0:1 Dinamo lead in the 22nd minute, which was the score at the half. Orsic scored in the 49th for 0:2, though Istra’s Cuze gave the home team a goal in the 90th minute for a final score of 1:2. 

Istra is currently in 8th place with 12 points, while Dinamo is in 1st with 38. 

Hajduk v. Rijeka (0:4)

Hajduk and Rijeka closed out the 17th round on Sunday, December 1, 2019, at Poljud for the Adriatic Derby. 

The first goal of the game didn’t come until the 43rd minute when Acosty scored for the Rijeka lead. However, in the final minutes of the second half, Rijeka managed to increase their lead by three goals - Raspopovic in the 83rd, Gorgon in the 87th, and Halilovic in the third minute of added time. The game ended at 0:4 for Rijeka. 

Hajduk is currently in 2nd place with 31 points, while Rijeka is in 3rd with 28. 

You can see the full HNL table here.

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

November 30, 2019 - The Euro 2020 draw was held in Bucharest from 6 pm on Saturday. Croatia will play in Group D with England, the Czech Republic, and the winner of Nations League C. 

The draw for the highly anticipated Euro 2020 began at 6 pm in Bucharest, one of the 12 host cities of this first-time format. The draw included 20 national teams who have already qualified, while we'll find out the four remaining teams in March when the Nations League finals are held. 

Croatia was drawn into Group D with England, the Czech Republic, and the winner of Nations League C (Norway/Serbia v Scotland/Israel).

You can see all of the Euro 2020 groups below:

Group A: Italy, Switzerland, Turkey, Wales

Group B: Belgium, Russia, Denmark, Finland

Group C: Ukraine, Netherlands, Austria, A/D-League Playoff Winner

Group D: England, Croatia, Czech Republic, C-League Playoff Winner (Norway/Serbia v Scotland/Israel)

Group E: Spain, Poland, Sweden, winner of the B-League Playoff Winner

Group F: Germany, France, Portugal, D/A-League Playoff Winner

The pots for the draw were as follows:

Pot 1: Italy, Belgium, England, Germany, Ukraine, and Spain

Pot 2: France, Poland, Switzerland, CROATIA, the Netherlands and Russia

Pot 3: Portugal, Turkey, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Czech Republic

Pot 4: Finland, Wales, play-off A, play-off B, play-off C, play-off D

Recall that Croatia could only be drawn in groups A, D, E and F. 

Croatia could not be drawn into Group B, where Denmark and Russia are the hosts, and Group C, with the host Netherlands. Before Saturday, we knew that the possible opponents for Croatia were Italy, England, Spain, and Germany.

The first game of Euro 2020 will be played in Group A, in Rome, Italy starting at 9 pm. 

You can see a breakdown of the cities and stadiums hosting the competition below:

GROUP A

Rome (Italy) - Olimpico (72.698)

Baku (Azerbaijan) - Baku Olympic Stadium (68.700)

GROUP B

Saint Peterburg (Russia) - Gazprom Arena (68.134)

Copenhagen (Denmark) - Parken (38.065)

GROUP C

Amsterdam (Netherlands) - Johan Cruyff Arena (54.990)

Bucharest (Romania) - Arena National (55.600)

GROUP D

London (England) - Wembley (90.000)

Glasgow (Sweden) - Hampden Park (52.063)

GROUP E

Bilbao (Spain) - San Mames (53.332)

Dublin (Republic of Ireland) - Aviva (51.700)

GROUP F

Munich (Germany) - Allianz Arena (75.000)

Budapest (Hungary) - Puskas Arena (67.889)

ROUND OF 16

Bucharest, Copenhagen, Bilbao, London, Glasgow, Dublin, Budapest, Amsterdam

QUARTERFINAL

Saint Petersburg, Munich, Rome, Baku

SEMIFINAL

London

FINAL

London

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

November 25, 2019 - The 16th round of the Croatian First League was held from Friday, November 22 to Sunday, November 24. This round featured the never disappointing ‘Eternal Derby’ between Dinamo and Hajduk. 

Dinamo v. Hajduk (1:1)

Dinamo and Hajduk opened the 16th round at Maksimir stadium on Friday, November 22, 2019, in front of 15,757 fans. 

Dinamo was quick to score thanks to an own goal by Hajduk defender Ismajli in the 12th minute for 1:0. However, a penalty awarded to Hajduk just before the half saw Mijo Caktas score for 1:1. 

Neither team was able to score in the second half, and Hajduk resisted Dinamo’s intense pressure throughout the game, even though they were without several of their key players on Friday. 

Dinamo is currently in first place with 35 points, while Hajduk is in 2nd with 31. 

Gorica v. Varazdin (1:0)

Gorica and Varazdin met in Velika Gorica on Saturday, November 23, 2019, in front of 1,272 fans. 

The first half went without goals, and Gorica’s Ndiaye scored only in the 57th minute for 1:0, which was the final score of the game. 

Gorica is currently in 6th place with 25 points, while Varazdin is in 10th place with 11. 

Slaven Belupo v. Lokomotiva (1:0)

Belupo and Lokomotiv met on Saturday, November 23, 2019, in Koprivnica in front of 754 fans. 

It was another low scoring game of the 16th round, which saw Belupo’s Krstanovic score in the 17th minute for 1:0, which was the final score of the game.

Belupo is currently in 7th place with 15 points, while Lokomotiva is in 5th place with 25. 

Osijek v. Istra 1961 (1:0)

Osijek and Istra met on Sunday, November 24, 2019, at City Garden Stadium in front of 2,455 fans. 

While the game saw Istra’s Pavic receive a double yellow in the 52nd minute, forcing Istra to play with a man down from the 52nd minute, the first and only goal of the game came in the 5th minute of added time (95') thanks to Osijek’s Maric for 1:0. 

Osijek is currently in 3rd place with 26 points, while Istra is in 8th with 12. 

Inter Zapresic v. Rijeka (1:4)

Inter and Rijeka met in Zagreb to close out the 16th round on Sunday, November 25, 2019, in front of 820 fans. 

Rijeka scored all four goals in the first half, thanks to Andrijasevic (6’), Colak (23’, 28’), and Gorgon (32’). Inter’s Soldo was able to get one for the home team in the first minute of added time for 1:4. 

Inter is currently in 9th place with 11 points, while Rijeka is in 4th with 25. 

You can see the full HNL table here. 

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

November 16, 2019 - The Croatia national team and Slovakia met in Croatia's final Euro 2020 qualifier of Group E on Saturday night at Rujevica stadium in Rijeka. 

Croatia played their final qualifying match for placement in the European Championship next year on Saturday night in rainy Rijeka to just over 8200 fans.

Dalic's side was without World Cup stars Ivan Rakitic, Dejan Lovren, Domagoj Vida and Andrej Kramaric, and played with a younger squad that included Dominik Livakovic, Tin Jedvaj, Duje Caleta-Car, Dino Peric, Borna Barisic, Marcelo Brozovic, Luka Modric, Ante Rebic, Nikola Vlasic, Ivan Perisic and Bruno Petkovic. Recall, Croatia defeated Slovakia 4:0 in Trnava back in September. Croatia started the game at the top of Group E. 

Croatia had their first attack of the game already in the second minute - Perisic crossed into the box though Slovakia defended. Bruno Petkovic forced Croatia's first corner in the 4th minute. Modric played it short to Borna Barisic, who failed to get a good shot in. 

A brilliant play by Nikola Vlasic found Petkovic, who played the ball to Modric. Modric's shot was defended by the Slovakia defense, though the play ultimately resulted in a corner. 

Slovakia's first corner came in the 11th minute, though Barisic had no problem clearing it out. Slovakia was beginning to attack, but Croatia's defense remained solid. 

Croatia was beginning to press but was unable to string plays together in the box. Another corner in the 20th minute saw Caleta-Car head the ball into the keeper. 

Nikola Vlasic played Brozovic in the 24th minute, which he hit wide of the goal. A brilliant Modric cross found the head of Vlasic moments later, which the keeper tapped over the goal for a corner, though they were unable to capitalize. 

Slovakia was dangerous in the 29th minute though Livakovic was there to save the day. Croatia seemed to control the game with 15 to go in the first half. However, one minute later, Slovakia had their chance - Bozenik scored for 0:1. 

Croatia picked up their game in the minutes that followed and pressed Slovakia's defense. Perisic almost scored the equalizer, though the Slovakia keeper was quicker to the ball. 

In the 38th minute, Petkovic fired at the keeper who made a brilliant save to keep Slovakia in the lead. The atmosphere at Rujevica was dulling. Slovakia had two more dangerous attacks with a minute to go and Croatia's fragile defense was lucky it wasn't more. One last attack for Croatia was unfruitful. The game ended 0:1 at the half. 

Dalic made no changes to the lineup to begin the second half. 

A Croatia corner in the 53rd hit the post.  Another corner in the next play saw Rebic hit over the goal. Josip Brekalo went in for Rebic in the 53rd. 

Croatia was pressing and the fresh legs helped. They finally had their chance in the 55th minute - Nikola Vlasic scored for 1:1! 

A quick counter for Croatia in the 58th resulted in a corner, which found the head of Bruno Petkovic for 2:1! The Dinamo star almost had his second goal in the 61st but shot at the keeper. Brekalo shot from outside the box moments later but hit over the goal. The atmosphere at Rujevica was far better in the second half. 

Slovakia's Hak received his second yellow of the game in the 65th minute and was forced to play a man down for the rest of the game. 

Perisic played a perfect through ball to Brekalo in the 70th though the keeper pushed him to the goal line for an out. 

Croatia was on fire - and a brilliant cross by Barisic found the foot of Perisic for a volley into the goal. The game was now 3:1! 

Mateo Kovacic came on for Nikola Vlasic in the 74th minute.  

Croatia had another stellar chance in the 77th - Brekalo stole the ball from the Slovakia defender, played Modric to Petkovic, who played Perisic, though he shot just wide of the goal. 

Brekalo had an unlucky shot at the keeper in the 80th. Mislav Orsic was subbed on for Perisic in the 81st.

A few more attacks in the final minutes of the game proved unsuccessful, and the game ended 3:1 for Croatia! 

With this win, Croatia finishes at the top of Group E and secures their spot at the Euros next summer! 

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

November 13, 2019 - Croatia national team player Ivan Rakitic opened up about the tough times at Barcelona and losing his place in the starting lineup after five years at the club.

“They took my ball. I am sad," he said in an interview that will be released Thursday on Spanish TV Movistar. 

Coach Ernesto Valverde has left Rakitic on the bench in his last two championship games against Levante and Celta Vigo. He has appeared in ten games this season, playing just 255 minutes, which is the least by minute among Barcelona's seven midfielders.

“I understand and respect the decisions of the coach, the club, or anyone. I have given a lot during these five years at Barcelona and I want to continue to enjoy it. I'm 31, not 38, so I feel I'm at my best,” said Rakitic.

He said he was hit emotionally by being losing his place in the squad because he had been a member of the starting line-up since joining the club.

“How does my younger daughter feel when you take away her toy? She's sad. I feel the same way. They took my ball away, so I'm sad,” said the Croatian midfielder.

Rakitic has been Barcelona's most used player since Ernesto Valverde took over the team in the summer of 2017, and has won the Spanish Championship twice during those two seasons. But since the start of this season, Rakitic has only been in the starting lineup once -  and Valverde didn’t even include him in the player list for one of the games. 

“I like to show my feelings. When you need to cry, that is okay. When I need to celebrate, I celebrate, like winning the silver medal with Croatia at the 2018 World Cup,” he noted.

Valverde said last month that he had more midfielders this season than in previous seasons, and the Barcelona administration has not yet revealed anything about the situation with Rakitic, who has a contract until the summer of 2021.

Last summer, Barcelona brought in 22-year-old midfielder Frankie de Jong from Ajax for €75 million, who has played the most minutes among the midfielders in 16 games so far.

"¿Cómo se siente mi hija cuando le quitan un juguete? Triste. Yo me siento igual. Me han quitado la pelota, me siento triste".

Rakitic, el jueves 14 en #UniversoValdano pic.twitter.com/E8iQVqd0O1

— Fútbol en Movistar+ (@MovistarFutbol) November 12, 2019

Rakitic returned to Barcelona from Zagreb on Monday after attending the national team reunion. Doctors of the Croatia national team examined him and found that due to pain in his Achilles tendon, he could not play against Slovakia in the last qualifying match for the European Championships on Saturday. A source close to Rakitic said that he traveled from Barcelona to Zagreb with the pain already. 

After returning to the club, he was examined by Barcelona doctors on Tuesday, who confirmed the issue with his Achilles tendon. It is not yet known when he will be back on the pitch. 

Rakitic practiced separately from teammates at Barcelona's camp on Tuesday and was not included in the player list for a humanitarian friendly match that Barcelona will play on Wednesday in the southern city of Cartagena.

Translated from HRT

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

November 11, 2019 - Croatia national team coach Zlatko Dalic announced the upcoming Euro qualifier against Slovakia.

The Croatia national team plays their final match for a spot in the Euro 2020 this Saturday. Croatia and Slovakia meet at 20:45 in Rijeka.

The national team gathered in Zagreb on Monday, followed by a trip to Opatija, which will be the team’s base until Saturday. Coach Zlatko Dalic has activated call ups Marko Rog and Josip Juranovic.

"We await the decisive match for the European Championships. We got them in Slovakia, but we should not be fooled by that match, because this will be one completely different. At the beginning of qualifications, we said that 15 points would be enough and so it is. But, no we are going to get a point, we are going to win. We are missing stoppers and we are looking for solutions there,” Dalic said at the beginning of his address to the media.

Shortly before the press conference, news arrived that Ivan Rakitic would most likely be unable to play due to injury. This time, his tendons are inflamed, which should result in about a week of rest. Rakitic did arrive in Zagreb and will be examined by national team doctors.

"Kramaric is coming, but he is returning to his club. Matej Mitrovic felt some problem at training. If the situation is questionable, we will not risk it. Ivan Rakitic felt something in his Achilles tendon, so we will take a look and if there is a problem, he will return to Barcelona. If Mitrovic doesn't play, then the options for the backs are Juranovic, Bartolec and Jedvaj.”

What does Dalic expect from Slovakia?

“Slovakia has the strongest midfield. Lobotka Hamsik, and Kucka. They play all the time, they are in shape, and we are expecting a big fight in the middle of the pitch. We have to stop Lobotka from organizing the game. It's risky, and we punished them in Slovakia, so I believe they won’t open completely this time. Our last line concerns me a little. We have to attack high, not defend."

Source: Index.hr

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

The 15th round of the Croatian First League was held from November 8 to 10, 2019. This round featured a crucial win for Hajduk and coach Damir Buric and a shocking blowout between Rijeka and Dinamo. 

Istra 1961  v. Gorica (2:2)

Istra and Gorica opened the 15th round in Pula on Friday, November 8, 2019, in front of 699 fans. 

Istra’s Laukzemis scored a quick goal in the 3rd minute for the lead, though Jovicic equalized before the half for 1:1. 

Mocinic put Istra back in the lad for 2:1 in the 62nd minute, and a late equalizer by Ndiaye in the fourth minute of injury time made it 2:2. 

Istra is currently in 7th place with 12 points, while Gorica is in 6th with 22. 

Lokomotiva v. Inter Zapresic (3:1)

Lokomotiva and Inter met in Zagreb on Saturday, November 9, 2019, in front of 440 fans. 

Tolic’s goal for Lokomotiva made it 1:0 at the half, and his second in the 72nd minute made it 2:0. Tsonev managed to get one in for Inter in the 83rd minute, while a Tolic hat trick in the 11th minute of injury time gave Lokomotiva the 3:1 win. 

Lokomotiva is currently in 3rd place with 25 points, while Inter is in 9th with 11. 

Varazdin v. Slaven Belupo (0:0)

Varazdin and Belupo met at NK Varteks Stadium on Saturday, November 9, 2019, in front of 1,112 spectators. 

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

Varazdin is currently in the last place with 11 points, while Belupo is in 8th with 12. 

Hajduk v. Osijek (3:2) 

Hajduk and Osijek met at Poljud on Sunday, November 10, 2019, in front of 7,805 fans. 

Hajduk’s Caktas scored first with a goal in the 22nd, while Eduok increased Hajduk’s lead to 2:0 in the 41st. 

Zaper came back with a goal for Osijek to make it 2:1 at the half. A quick goal by Maric into the second half made the game equal in the 52nd minute for 2:2. 

Jairo put Hajduk pack in the lead in the 72nd minute for 3:2, though his second yellow in the 73rd mad saw Hajduk play with a man down for the remainder of the game. Osijek was unable to capitalize with an extra man,  and the game ended at 3:2. 

Hajduk is currently in 2nd place with 30 points, while Osijek is in 4th with 23. 

Rijeka v. Dinamo (0:5)

Rijeka and Dinamo closed out the 15th round at Rujevica Stadium on Sunday, November 10, 2019, in front of 5,517 spectators. 

Ivanusec (’14), Orsic (’18, ’26), and Stojanovic (’20) made the game 0:4 for Dinamo at the half. An Orsic hattrick in the 70th made it 0:5, which was the final score of the game. 

Rijeka is currently in 5th place with 22 points, while Dinamo is in 1st with 34. 

You can see the full HNL table here. 

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

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.