October 4, 2021 - The 11th round of the Croatian First League was held from October 1-3, 2021. This round featured a blowout win for Dinamo, the della Učka derby, and Osijek and Hajduk at City Garden Stadium. Here's our HNL round 11 recap.

Šibenik v. Gorica (1:2)

Šibenik and Gorica opened the 11th round on Friday, October 1, 2021, at Subicevac Stadium in front of 466 spectators. 

Fruk put Gorica in the lead in the 15th minute and scored again in the 41st for 0:2 at the half. Curic came back for Sibenik in the 66th minute for 1:2, which was the match's final score. 

Sibenik is currently in 7th place with 10 points, while Goria is in 5th with 16. 

Lokomotiva v. Slaven Belupo (3:0)

Lokomotiva and Belupo met on Saturday, October 2, 2021, in Zagreb in front of 412 spectators. 

While the first half went without goals, Gorican scored the first goal of the match in the 54th minute for 1:0 Lokomotiva, follow by Kaacavenda in the 70th and Kulenpvic in the 74th for 3:0. 

Lokomotiva is currently in 6th place with 14 points, while Belupo is in 9th with 6. 

Istra 1961 v. Rijeka (3:6)

Istra and Rijeka met in the della Ucka derby on Saturday, October 2, 2021, in front of 1,274 spectators. 

Silva scored the first goal of the match in the 18th minute for 1:0 Istra, though Kresic equalized 6 minutes later for 1:1. Then, Pavicic put Rijeka in the lead at 1:2 and scored again 5 minutes later for 1:3. Finally, Vuckic scored for 1:4 at the half. 

Ampem opened the second half with a goal for Rijeka in the 52nd minute (1:5), and Mahmoud slightly redeemed Istra with a goal in the 60th for 2:5. Lisica made it 3:5 in the 77th though Busnja sealed Rijeka's victory with a goal in the 85th for the final 3:6.

Istra is in 8th place with 10 points, while Rijeka leads the table with 23. 

Dinamo v. Hr. Dragovoljac (8:0)

Dinamo and Dragovoljac met at Maksimir on Sunday, October 3, 2021. 

Dinamo's blowout began with a Misic goal in the 22nd minute for 1:0 and Menalo in the 2nd minute of injury time for 2:0 at the half. Ivanusec increased Dinamo's lead to 3:0 in the 50th minute and Spikic to 4:0 9 minutes later. Menalo scored his second goal in the 65th minute for 5:0 and Andric for 6:0 in the 69th. Bulat made it 7:0 in the 82nd and Tolic 8:0 in the 3rd minute of injury time for the final score. 

Dinamo is currently in 2nd place with 22 points (and two games behind), while Dragovoljac is in last place with 5 points. 

Osijek v. Hajduk (1:1)

Osijek and Hajduk closed out the 11th round on Sunday, October 3, 2021, at City Garden Stadium.

Kleinheisler opened the game with an early goal in the 9th minute for the Osijek lead. Lovrenciscs equalized in the 19th minute for 1:1, which was the final score of the match. 

Osijek is currently in 3rd place with 21 points, while Hajduk is in 4th with 20 (and one game behind). 

You can see the full HNL table HERE.

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September 20, 2021 - The 9th round of the Croatian First League was held from September 17 to 19, 2021. The 'Eternal Derby' between Hajduk and Dinamo at Poljud was postponed due to Dinamo's Europa League schedule, while Osijek's late-winner against Gorica saw the match end 3:2 at City Garden. Here is our HNL Round 9 recap. 

Hr. Dragovoljac v. Rijeka (2:2)

Dragovoljac and Rijeka opened the 9th round in Zagreb on Friday, September 17, 2021, in front of 420 spectators. 

Petković and Majstorović shocked Rijeka with a 2:0 lead by the 36th minute. Ampem got a goal back for Rijeka in the 57th minute for 2:1, and Pavičić equalized 3 minutes later for 2:2. Vuckic's goal was called offside in the final minute of regulation time, so the match ended in a draw. 

Dragovoljac is currently in last place with 5 points, while Rijeka is in 1st with 17 points (and one game less).

Slaven Belupo v. Istra 1961 (1:1)

Belupo and Istra met in Koprivnica on Saturday, September 18, 2021. 

The first half went without goals but saw Navarro receive a red card, forcing Istra to play with a man down from the 41st minute. Krstanovic scored a penalty at the start of the second half for the Belupo lead, but Perkovic equalized in the 5th minute of injury time for 1:1. 

Belupo is currently in 9th place with 6 points, while Istra is in 8th with 7 (and one game less). 

Šibenik v. Lokomotiva (2:1)

Šibenik and Lokomotiva met on Saturday, September 18, 2021, in Šibenik. 

Marin scored in the 5th minute for the early Šibenik lead, though Dabro scored a penalty in the 28th minute for 1:1 at the half. Marin scored his second goal of the match in the 77th minute for the 2:1 Šibenik win. 

Šibenik is currently in 7th place with 10 points, while Lokomotiva is in 6th with 11 (and one game less).

Osijek v. Gorica (3:2)

Osijek and Gorica closed out the 9th round at City Garden Stadium on Sunday, September 19, 2021. 

Kalik gave Gorica the lead in the 29th minute. Daku didn't equalize for Osijek until the 75th. Brodic put Gorica back in the lead 6 minutes later, and Daku equalized again for 2:2 in the 84th minute. Loncar gave Osijek the late-game winner in the 3rd minute of injury time for a final score of 3:2. 

Osijek is currently in 2nd place with 17 points, while Gorica is in 5th with 13. 

You can see the full HNL table HERE.  

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September 13, 2021 - The 8th round of the Croatian First League was played from September 10 to 12, 2021. This saw a Marko Livaja hattrick for the Hajduk win, while Dinamo and Rijeka celebrated victories at home. Here is our HNL round 8 recap. 

Gorica v. Hr. Dragovoljac (1:1)

Gorica and Dragovoljac opened the 8th round on Friday,  September 10, 2021, in Velika Gorica. 

While the first half went without goals, Gorica's Stojanovski scored the first goal of the match which was ruled offside by VAR in the 56th minute. Lovrić missed a penalty for Gorica 7 minutes later, but Babec scored a minute after that for the 1:0 Gorica lead. Strkalj equalized in the 74th minute for the final 1:1. 

Gorica is currently in 5th place with 15 points, while Dragovoljac is in the last place with 4. 

Dinamo v. Šibenik (2:0)

Dinamo and Šibenik met at Maksimir Stadium on Saturday, September 11, 2021. 

It was another match with a scoreless first half. Lauritsen scored for the Dinamo lead in the 68th minute, which Ivanušec increased to 2:0 10 minutes later. 

Dinamo is currently in 1st place with 16 points (and one game less), while Šibenik is in 7th with 7. 

Rijeka v. Slaven Belupo (2:1)

Rijeka and Slaven Belupo met at Rujevica Stadium on Saturday, September 11, 2021. 

After a 0:0 first half, Hadzic put Belupo in the lead in the 63rd minute. However, that didn't last long, as Drmić equalized for 1:1 in the 78th minute before scoring his second goal in the 85th minute for 2:1. 

Rijeka is currently in 3rd place with 16 points (and one game less), while Belupo is in 9th place with 5 points. 

Istra 1961 v. Hajduk (1:3)

Istra and Hajduk met in Pula on Sunday, September 12, 2021. 

The lack of goals in the first half was redeemed by Marko Livaja, who put Hajduk up 0:1 thanks to a penalty in the 51st minute. A second penalty was awarded to Hajduk 6 minutes later, which Livaja scored for 0:2. Livaja's hattrick came in the 74th minute for the 0:3 lead. Drena got one goal for Istra in the 87th minute for a final score of 1:3. 

Istra is currently in 8th place with 6 points (and one game less), while Hajduk is in 2nd with 16. 

Lokomotiva v. Osijek (1:1)

Lokomotiva and Osijek closed out the 8th round on Sunday, September 12, 2021. 

The match's first goal was scored in the 70th minute, thanks to Dabro for the Lokomotiva lead. A double-yellow for Fiolić forced Osijek to play with a man down from the 75th minute. Topcagic was able to equalize in the 3rd minute of added time for the final 1:1 draw. 

Lokomotiva is currently in 6th place with 11 points (and one game less), while Osijek is in 4th with 14. 

You can see the full HNL table HERE. 

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September 10, 2021 - The weeks-long negotiations have finally ended to the satisfaction of all parties: Lovro Zvonarek has signed for Bayern Munich and will remain on loan at Slaven Belupo until the end of this season!

It is a denouement in which everyone is satisfied - Bayern swooped in on the promising young Croatian talent, and Zvonarek, in addition to signing a contract with the Bavarian giant, got the much-needed peace to continue developing his football career. Furthermore, with compensation of 1,800,000 euros, the Koprivnica club managed to keep their #10, reports Gol.hr.

Bayern will immediately pay the mentioned amount to Podravka, and the compensation may eventually increase to five million euros over the next few years. This will depend on when Zvonarek makes his debut for Bayern's first team, his performance, and other details built into the contract.

Zvonarek was born on May 8, 2005, in Prelog, where he started playing football at the Mladost Prelog club.

His phenomenal talent was first noticed by Slaven Belupo, who, five years ago, when he was 11, brought him to Koprivnica, from which he later moved to the youth division of the Koprivnica first league.

Zvonarek gives the most as an offensive midfielder, but can also play on both wings.

At the end of last season, Zvonarek made his debut for the Slaven Belupo first team, and made history in the last round, becoming the youngest scorer in the history of the Croatian First League. At 16 years and 14 days, he scored the only goal in the Slaven Belupo - Varaždin match and broke the previous record held by Alen Halilović.

"Lovro Zvonarek is the new player of the German great FC Bayern Munich, and he will stay in our club until the end of the current season!!!

Congratulations to the youngest debutant in the history of Slaven Belupo at only 16 years and four days and the youngest scorer in the history of the HNL at only 16 years and 14 days on the biggest transfer in the history of our club!" wrote Slaven Belupo in their Facebook page. 

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August 20, 2021 - The 7th round of the Croatian First League was held from August 27 to 29, 2021. This round featured Croatia's biggest derbies - Osijek v Dinamo, and Hajduk v Rijeka. Here's our HNL round 7 recap 

Slaven Belupo v. Hr Dragovoljac (0:1)

Belupo and Dragovoljac opened the 7th round on Friday, August 27, 2021, in Koprivnica.

While the first half went without goals, Belupo's s Glavcic received his second yellow in the 76th minute and Mioc scored in the 86th minute for 0:1 and Dragovoljac's first win this season!

Belupo is currently in 9th place with 5 points, while Dragovoljac is in last with 3.  

Lokomotiva v. Gorica (0:1)

Lokomotiva and Gorica met on Saturday, August 28, 2021, in Zagreb. 

After another scoreless first half, Lovric scored 0:1 in the 74th minute, which was the final score of the match. 

Lokomotiva is currently in 6th place with 10 points, while Gorica is in 5th place with 12 points. 

Sibenik v. Istra 1961 (3:1)

Sibenik and Istra met on Saturday, August 28, 2021, in Sibenik. 

Sibenik scored all three of its goals in the first half - Delic in the 17th, and Jakolis in the 22nd and 32nd. Drena Beljo scored one for Istra in the 74th for the final score of 3:1. 

Sibenik is currently in 7th place with 7 points, while Istra is in 8th with 6. 

Osijek v. Dinamo (0:2)

Osijek and Dinamo met in the first big derby of the weekend on Sunday, August 29, 2021, at City Garden Stadium. 3,175 spectators were in attendance.

Jakic scored for the Dinamo lead before the half for 0:1 in the 33rd minute. Pilj missed a penalty for Osijek in the 58th minute and an own goal by Loncar increased Dinamo's lead to 0:2 in the 65th minute. 

Osijek is currently in 4th place with 13 points, while Dinamo is in 1st with 13 and one game less. 

Hajduk v. Rijeka (1:2)

Hajduk and Rijeka closed out of the 7th round with the Adriatic Derby at Poljud on Sunday, August 29, 2021. 15,967 spectators were in attendance.

Tomecak scored for 0:1 Rijeka in the 21st minute, which Drmic increased to 0:2 before the half (43'). Hajduk's Elez came back with a goal for 1:2, and after numerous attempts, was unable to equalize. 

Hajduk is currently in 3rd place with 13 points, while Rijeka is in 2nd with 13 and one game less. 

You can see the full HNL table HERE.

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To learn more about sport in Croatia, CLICK HERE.

August 23, 2021 - The 6th round of the Croatian First League was held from August 20 to 22, 2021. This round saw Hajduk move to 1st place in the standings after Istra 1961 shocked Osijek with a 2:0 win. Here's our HNL round 6 recap. 

Hrvatski Dragovoljac v. Hajduk (0:1)

Hr. Dragovoljac and Hajduk opened the 6th round in Zagreb on Friday, August 20, 2021, in front of 990 (mostly Torcida) spectators. 

While Hajduk sat in Dragovoljac's half for the entire game (bar a few plays), the only goal of the match came in the 5th minute of added time (90+5'), when Simic scored off a corner kick for the Hajduk win. 

Dragovoljac is currently in the last place with 0 points, while Hajduk is in 1st with 13. 

Gorica v. Slaven Belupo (1:0)

Gorica and Belupo met in Velika Gorica on Saturday, August 21, 2021. 

While the first half went without goals, Dvornekovic scored for 1:0 Gorica in the 66th minute, which was the final result. 

Gorica is currently in 6th place with 9 points, while Belupo is in 8th with 5. 

Dinamo v. Lokomotiva (1:0)

Dinamo and Lokomotiva met at Maksimir on Saturday, August 21, 2021. 

It was yet another match where the first half went without goals, and Oršić only scored for Dinamo in the 77th minute for the 1:0 win. 

Dinamo is currently in 10th place with 10 points (and one game less), while Lokomotiva is in 3rd with 10 (and one game less).

Istra 1961 v. Osijek (2:0)

Istra and Osijek met in Pula at the Aldo Drosina Stadium on Sunday, August 22, 2021. 

No goals were scored in the first half, and Istra's first goal didn't come until the 84th minute when Bande scored for 1:0. Miskovic increased Istra's lead in the 4th minute of added time (90+4') for the final score of 2:0. 

Istra is currently in 7th place with 6 points (and one game less), while Osijek is in 2nd with 13 points. 

Rijeka v. Sibenik (2:1)

Rijeka and Sibenik closed out the 6th round on Sunday, August 22, 2021, at Rujevica Stadium. 

After a scoreless first half, Delic put Sibenik in the lead for 0:1 in the 47th minute. Drmic equalized in the 64th for 1:1, and Busnja put Rijeka in the lead at 2:1 in the 76th minute for the win. 

Rijeka is currently in 5th place with 10 points (and one game less), while Sibenik is in 9th with 4. 

You can see the full HNL table HERE. 

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To learn more about sport in Croatia, CLICK HERE. 

August 16, 2021 - The 5th round of the Croatian First League was held from August 13 to 15, 2021. This round saw Osijek win the derby against Rijeka, while Hajduk continued their at-home winning streak. There were even blowout wins for both Šibenik and Lokomotiva! Here's our HNL round 5 recap. 

Dinamo v. Gorica (1:0)

Dinamo and Gorica opened the 5th round at Maksimir Stadium on Friday, August 13, 2021. 

The match's only goal was an own goal by Gorica's Doka, which put Dinamo up at 1:0 in the 36th minute. Gorica was unable to equalize. 

Dinamo is currently in 4th place with 7 points (and only 4 games played), while Gorica is in 6th place with 6 points. 

Lokomotiva v. Istra 1961 (4:0)

Lokomotiva and Istra met in Zagreb on Saturday, August 14, 2021. 

Dabro scored Lokomotiva's first goal for 1:0 in the 20th minute. Then, Ibrahim scored goals in the 31st and 45th minutes to make it 3:0 at the half. Finally, Dabro increased Lokomotiva's lead to 4:0 in the 49th minute, which was how the match ended. 

Lokomotiva is currently in 2nd place with 10 points, while Istra is in 9th with 3. 

Hajduk v. Slaven Belupo (2:0)

Hajduk and Slaven Belupo met at Poljud Stadium on Saturday, August 16, 2021. 

Emir Sahiti scored the goal of the round in the 35th minute for the 1:0 Hajduk lead at the half. Livaja increased Hajduk's lead from a free kick in the 48th minute for 2:0, which was the final score of the match. 

Hajduk is currently in 3rd place with 10 points, while Belupo is in 7th with 5. 

Šibenik v. Hr. Dragovoljac (6:2)

Šibenik and Dragovoljac met in Šibenik on Sunday, August 16, 2021. 

Delić scored in the 1st minute for the early 1:0 lead though Petković equalized for 1:1 in the 34th. Strkalj put Dragovoljac ahead at 1:2 just before the half. 

Šibenik came back strong in the second half, however, scoring 3 goals in 10 minutes for the 4:2 lead (Bačelić-Grgić 52', Marin 58', Jakoliš 61'). Bačelić-Grgić scored again in the 86th minute for 5:2, and Marin finished the match with another goal just before the final whistle for 6:2. 

Šibenik is currently in 8th place with 4 points, while Dragovoljac is in the last place with 0. 

Osijek v. Rijeka (1:0)

Osijek and Rijeka closed out the 5th round at City Garden Stadium on Sunday, August 16, 2021. 

VAR called back Rijeka's goal in the 8th minute, and Mierez scored for the Osijek lead in the 17th minute. Osijek scored again in the final minutes of the match, but the goal was also called offside by VAR.

Osijek is currently in 1st place with 13 points, while Rijeka is in 5th with 7 points.  

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. 

July 19, 2021 - The 2021/22 Croatian First League (HNL) season opened last weekend with the first round of games played from July 16 to 18, 2021. A look at our HNL round 1 recap. 

Dinamo v. Slaven Belupo (0:2)

Dinamo and Slaven Belupo opened the new season at Maksimir Stadium on Friday, July 16, 2021. 

While the first half went without goals, the reigning Croatian champions were shocked thanks to goals by Krstanovicc and Bogojevic in the 50th and 84th minutes for 0:2. 

This victory was only Belupo's second in its 37 visits to Maksimir. The last time they won was a little less than 17 years ago. 

Dinamo is currently in 8th place with 0 points, while Belupo is in 4th with 3. 

Osijek v. Šibenik (3:0)

Osijek and Šibenik met at City Garden Stadium on Friday, July 16, 2021. 

The first half went without goals, which Mierez made up for with Osijek's first goal in the 63rd minute. Bohar scored in the 90th and 95th for 3:0 Osijek.  

Osijek is currently in first place with 3 points, while Šibenik is in 10th with 0. 

Lokomotiva v. Hajduk (2:2)

Lokomotiva and Hajduk met in Zagreb on Saturday, July 17, 2021. 

Hajduk took the lead in the 30th minute thanks to Mlakar, though Soldo equalized for Lokomotiva for 1:1 3 minutes before the half. Dabro opened the second half with a goal for the 2:1 Lokomotiva lead in the 47th minute, but Mlakar equalized for 2:2 less than 10 minutes later.

Lokomotiva is currently in 6th place with 1 point, while Hajduk is in 5th place with 1 point. 

Rijeka v. Gorica (2:0)

Rijeka and Gorica met at Rujevica on Saturday, July 17, 2021. 

Muric put Rijeka in the lead in the 20th minute for 1:0 at the half. Lepinijca increased Rijeka's lead to 2:0 in the 55th minute, which was the final score of the match.

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

Istra 1961 v. Hr. Dragovoljac (3:1)

Istra and Dragovoljac closed out the first round on Sunday, July 18, 2021. 

Bande scored two goals for Istra in the first half for 2:0 (10', 17'). Matic made it 3:0 at the half. Veljaca scored for Dragovoljac for 3:1, which was the final score of the match. 

Istra is currently in 2nd place with 3 points, while Dragovoljac is in 7th with 0. 

You can see the full HNL table