August 15, 2022 - The SuperSport HNL 5th round was held last weekend, bringing some surprising results - especially amongst the traditionally top clubs. And we're not only talking about the Eternal Derby. A look at the SuperSport HNL round 5. 

Sibenik v Istra 1961 (0:0)

The 5th round opened on Friday, August 12, 2022, at Stadion Šubićevac in front of 1296 fans. 

This match wasn't too exciting to watch, as it finished without goals. Sibenik had eight shots compared to Istra's 9, while Sibenik held 44% possession to Istra's 56%. Sibenik committed 17 fouls to Istra's 7. 

Sibenik is currently in 5th place with 6 points, while Istra is in last place with 6 points. 

Gorica v. Lokomotiva (3:2)

Gorica and Lokomotiva played the next match on Saturday, August 13, 2022, at Radnik Stadium in Velika Gorica.

A bit more exciting than Friday's game, Vasij put Lokomotiva ahead for 0:1 in the 9th minute, which was the result at the half. Kalik equalized for 1:1 in the 60th minute before Fruk made it 2:1 six minutes later. Da Cruz made it 3:1 for Gorica in the 79th. Five minutes later, Tuci scored for the final 3:2. 

Gorica is currently in 6th place with 5 points and one game in hand, while Lokomotiva is in 4th with 6. 

Dinamo v. Hajduk (4:1)

Dinamo and Hajduk met for their first big derby of the season on Saturday, August 13, 2022, at Maksimir Stadium. Fourteen thousand three hundred one fans were in attendance. 

After continuous pressure from Dinamo in the first half, Hajduk went ahead thanks to Livaja and Atanasov, who scored in the 2nd minute of stoppage time for 0:1 Hajduk. And then things went downhill for the Split club, especially after coach Valdas went in with fresh legs in the defense. Dinamo was up 2:1 with goals by Baturina and Ademi in the 61st and 64th minutes. Gojak made it 3:1 in the 84th minute, and Orsic 4:1 in the 90+1'. 

Dinamo sits in 1st place with 13 points, while Hajduk sits in 3rd with 8 points but two games in hand. 

Osijek v. Varazdin (2:2)

Osijek and Varazdin met at City Garden Stadium on Sunday, August 14, 2022.

After a scoreless first half, Jugovic made it 1:0 for Osijek in the 57th minute and Brodic 1:1 eight minutes later. Beljo put Osijek back ahead in the 77th minute for 2:1, and Peric made it 2:2 in the 81st. 

Will Osijek coach Nenad Bjelica finally get sacked? With unimpressive results round after round, his sacking seems inevitable. Croatian media reported on Monday morning that Nenad Bjelica would sit down with the president of Osijek, Ferenc Sakalje, to negotiate the best option for parting ways. 

Osijek is currently in 7th place with 5 points, while Varazdin is in 8th with 5. 

Rijeka v. Slaven Belupo (0:1)

Rijeka and Belupo closed the 5th round on Sunday, August 14, 2022, at Rujevica Stadium.

After a scoreless first half, Crnac scored for Belupo in the 70th minute, giving Belupo a massive three away points and pushing Rijeka to the bottom of the HNL table in second to last place. 

Rijeka is currently in 9th place with 4 points and one game in hand, while Belupo is in 2nd place with 8 points. 

You can see the HNL standings here. 

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

August 8, 2022 - The SuperSport HNL 4th round was held from August 5 to 7, 2022. This round was without the originally scheduled Hajduk and Gorica match, as Hajduk requested a postponement due to Conference League obligations. And it wasn't a good weekend for Croatia's top clubs, Dinamo, Osijek, and Rijeka. A look at SuperSport HNL round 4. 

Varazdin v. Dinamo (1:1)

Varazdin and Dinamo opened the 4th round in Varazdin on Friday, August 4, in front of 7,132 fans. Dinamo went into the match coming off of a 2:1 win against Ludogorets in the Champions League qualifiers earlier in the week. 

The Croatian champion was the first to score with a goal from Spikic just before the ref blew the whistle to end the first half. But former Hajduk player Sego made sure they didn't stay ahead, scoring the equalizer in the 63rd minute for 1:1 and the final result. 

Varazdin is currently in 8th place with 4 points, while Dinamo sits in first with 10 points. 

Slaven Belupo v. Sibenik (0:0)

Belupo and Sibenik met in Koprivnica on Saturday, August 5, in front of 473 fans. 

The match was uneventful, displayed in the 0:0 final result. 

Belupo is currently in 5th place with 5 points, while Sibenik is in 4th with 5 points. 

Istra 1961 v. Osijek (1:0)

Istra and Osijek met on Saturday, August 6, in Pula. 

Tensions are already high among Osijek supporters who have been calling for coach Nenad Bjelica to be sacked. Losing to Istra on Saturday did not help. 

Istra scored first in the 62nd minute when Bakrar found the back of the net, though his goal was ultimately called offside after consulting VAR. But that didn't stop Bakrar from killing Osijek's hopes again with a goal in the match's final minutes (90+4') for the 1:0 Istra win. Coach Bjelica has yet to resign, nor has he been asked to step down as coach by the club. 

Istra is currently in 9th place with 3 points, while Osijek is in 6th with 4. 

Lokomotiva v. Rijeka (3:1)

Lokomotiva and Rijeka closed out the 4th round on Sunday, August 7, in Zagreb. 

Lokomotiva took the lead in the 14th minute when Gorican scored for 1:0, and Cokaj made it 2:0 just five minutes later. Karrica gave Rijeka some hope in the 34th minute scoring for 2:1, but Vasilj settled all doubts about the winner with Lokomotiva's goal in the 79th minute for the final 3:1. 

Lokomotiva is currently in 3rd place with 6 points, while Rijeka is in 7th with 4. 

Hajduk v. Gorica (Postponed)

Hajduk asked to postpone their 4th-round match against Gorica due to Conference League obligations. After beating Vitoria at Poljud on Thursday 3:1, Hajduk plays the return match against the Portuguese club on Wednesday in Portugal. Hajduk has played only two rounds in the SuperSport HNL thus far, as Rijeka postponed their 2nd round match against Hajduk due to Conference League obligations. 

As it stands now, Hajduk is in 2nd place with 6 points and only two games played, while Gorica is in the last place with 2 points and three games played. 

You can see the HNL standings here. 

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

August 5, 2022 - Croatia has for a long time had a dynamic relationship with employment, even more so the east of the country. Encouraging news of record low unemployment came in from Osijek.

As SiB writes, according to the latest data from the Osijek Regional Office of the Croatian Employment Service, at the end of June this year, 13,951 unemployed people were registered in the Osijek-Baranja County. That is 1.7% less than the previous month and 7.0% less than in June 2021. Since registered unemployment has been monitored on a statistical level, it has never happened that the number of unemployed fell below 14,000.

Record low unemployment is the result of continuous increased economic activity, the positive effects of which we are witnessing at all levels. According to the recently published data of FINA, the 2021 business year was particularly successful for entrepreneurs from Osijek-Baranja County, with total revenue of HRK 33.511 billion, which is an increase of 17.18% compared to 2020. The profit for the period amounted to HRK 1.833 billion, which is HRK 530 million or 40.68% more than in 2020, and as an export-oriented economy, the export of HRK 6.672 billion was achieved, which is an increase of 18.3% compared to 2020.

Considering the profit of entrepreneurs, Osijek-Baranja County is positioned fifth in terms of success, following the City of Zagreb, Zagreb County, Split-Dalmatia, and Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, respectively.

“In addition to the growth in the number of entrepreneurs of 4.5% compared to last year, we also note a constant increase in the number of trades. At the end of June, 5,346 trades were operating in the County, which is 337 more than in June 2021. Our measures to encourage economic activity have certainly contributed to the record low numbers, by building entrepreneurial infrastructure, primarily the Economic Centre and the Regional Distribution Centre for fruits and vegetables, but also implementing specific projects to encourage employment”, said Prefect Ivan Anušić.

Osijek-Baranja is the only county in Croatia which in cooperation with the Croatian Employment Service, Osijek Regional Office, creates and finances training and retraining programs intended for long-term unemployed persons to find employment more quickly.

Over the past five years, almost 350 unemployed people have gone through various educational programs that were fully financed by the County, as well as the cost of transportation for unemployed people.

“We continuously monitor the needs of the market and try to react with our measures. The retraining and additional training financed by the Osijek-Baranja County proved to be quality measures because 60% of people find employment afterward. Considering the excellent results of the implemented activities, in the budget for 2022 we planned a record amount of HRK 600,000.00 for the continuation of these programs”, said Prefect Anušić.

The Osijek-Baranja County continues to monitor trends in the economy and encourage the development of entrepreneurship and craftsmanship, which, judging by the results of operations last year, contributed to the improvement of the entrepreneurial climate, it was concluded.

July the 30th, 2022 - Osijek mayor Ivan Radic has discussed the woes of inflation which have the entire country, continent and indeed the world in a very firm grip, and just how the Eastern Croatian city he is in charge of has managed to avoid many price hikes.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Osijek mayor Ivan Radic recently made a statement to N1 television about inflation, price increases and how Osijek has managed to avoid many unpleasant situations in the face of a very uncomfortable inflation wave following the Russian invasion of Ukraine back in February.

"I'm happy with what we managed to do as a team. We launched a lot of projects, even thirty years ago, nowhere near this much was ever invested in Osijek,'' stated Radic when discussing the first year of his mandate as the city's mayor, also going on to announce that he plans to keep the same pace in the coming years.

The renovation of the pedestrian bridge, the swimming pool, the Drava river's banks... There are numerous projects that are being worked on in Osijek, and there appears to be no plans to stop.

"The pedestrian bridge had to be rebuilt because the statics were damaged and the bridge has become dangerous, and the works on the bridge's reconstruction were completed before the agreed deadline,'' Osijek mayor Ivan Radic said.

When asked about saving energy, which is also being strongly recommended by the European Commission (EC), Radic explained that they have already started saving in many ways in the City of Osijek.

"Much like any other city you can think of, Osijek is far from immune to these things. We immediately issued recommendations to the entire city system, we gave them very specific recommendations that must be followed. We found that cooling by one degree less leads to 15 percent energy savings, which is a massive 100,000 kuna per month. That's a nice amount of savings, and we started with it all on time. The City of Osijek hasn't increased the price of any of its services, neither water nor electricity, nor kindergarten charges, nor transport costs,'' concluded Osijek mayor Ivan Radic.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated politics section.

July 29, 2022 - Not the best night for Croatian football as Rijeka and Osijek were both eliminated from the Conference League in the 2nd qualifying round. A look at what happened on Thursday night. 

Rijeka

After Djurgarden celebrated 2-1 at Rujevica, the Swedish club beat Rijeka in the return match 2-0 (0-0), which concluded Rijeka's European dream in this season's Conference League 2nd qualifying round. 

Rijeka played better than in the first match, especially in the first 45 minutes in Stockholm, but it was too little to advance in the end. Djurgarden crushed Rijeka in the second half when both goals were scored. Hien scored in the 55th minute and Banda in the 84th minute.

The first half was aggressive on both sides, yet both teams were cautious, and Rijeka looked more determined compared to the first match at Rujevica.

Ampem and Frigan were the biggest threat to Djurgarden. In the 25th minute, Prince Ampem scored with his head. However, the Rijeka player was offside, and the goal did not count. Real chances on both sides were few and far between. 

Djurgarden opened the second half much better and scored in the 55th minute for 1-0. In the 84th minute, Emmanuel Banda made the final 2-0, which secured Djurgarden's spot in the next round. 

Osijek

Later that evening, Osijek played their Conference League 2nd qualifying round return match at home against Kazakhstani club Kyzylzhar SK. Osijek won 2-1 away in the first match.

Giorgi Ivaniadze scored for Kyzylzhar in the 61st minute and Moussa Kone in the 71st minute.

Osijek was a much better opponent in the first half and threatened the goal on several occasions. However, Kyzylzhar had the only possible chance in the first half in the 10th minute.

Everything changed in the 61st minute when Kyzylzhar unexpectedly took the lead. Ivaniadze scored just one minute after entering the game.

The conceded goal did not wake up Osijek. Ten minutes later, Kyzylzhar scored a second goal and secured the next round of the competition. 

After the second goal, Osijek coach Nenad Bjelica threw all his cards into the attack, introduced Beljo and Mance, and with three attackers, tried to score a goal that would take the match into extra time. However, even though there were more than 20 minutes left, Osijek did not create a likely scoring opportunity and deservedly said goodbye to Europe this season.

Nejašmić's incomprehensible own goal at the end of the first match when Osijek was leading 2-0 came back to haunt them. 

But there is still some hope for Croatian clubs. Hajduk will play in the 3rd qualifying round next week against the winner of Puskas Akademia and Vitória de Guimarães.

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

July 25, 2022 - SuperSport HNL round 2 was held from July 22 to 24, 2022. The 2nd round only included four games as Rijeka asked to postpone the Adriatic Derby against Hajduk due to Conference League obligations. Here's our SuperSport HNL round two recap. 

Istra 1961 v. Varazdin (1:2)

Istra and Varazdin opened the 2nd round in Pula on Friday, July 22, 2022. 

While the first half went without goals, Marin put Istra ahead in the 70th minute for 1:0. Brodic equalized 7 minutes later for 1:1, before Postonjski gave Varazdin the lead and ultimate win in the 83rd minute for 1:2. 

Istra is currently in the last place with 0 points, while Varazdin is in 6th with 3. 

Gorica v. Sibenik (0:0)

Gorica and Sibenik met on Saturday, July 23, 2022, in Velika Gorica. 

The first half went without goals, and Kalik's goal in the 83rd minute was eventually called offside after consulting VAR. The match ended at 0:0. 

Gorica is currently in 8th place with 1 point, while Sibenik is in 9th with 1. 

Slaven Belupo v. Dinamo (1:5)

Belupo and Dinamo met on Saurday, July 23, 2022, in Koprivnica in front of 2613 fans. 

Marina missed a penalty for Belupo in the 2nd minute of the match, which was redeemed with a goal in the next play for 1:0 Belupo in the 2nd minute. Baturina scored 6 minutes later to equalize at 1:1. Orsric put Dinamo ahead in the 15th minute for 1:2 and Drmic five minutes after that for 1:3, which was the score going into halftime. And Dinamo wasn't finished yet. Misic made it 1:4 in the 74th minute, and Spikic 1:5 in the 90th, which was the final score. 

Belupo is currently in 7th place with 3 points, while Dinamo upped their goal differential this round to sit in first place with 6 points. 

Lokomotiva v. Osijek (2:1)

Lokomotiva and Osijek closed out the 2nd round on Sunday, July 24, 2022, in Zagreb. 

Kleinheisler put Osijek in the lead in the 16th minute, which was the result at halftime. Osijek also had a goal called offside by VAR in the 50th minute. Boskovic equalized for Lokomotiva in the 80th minute for 1:1 before scoring again for 2:1 six minutes later, which was the final score. 

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

Recall that Rijeka and Hajduk did not play the Adriatic Derby in the 2nd round as planned after Rijeka asked for the game to be postponed due to Conference League obligations. The two teams will make up the 2nd round match when they have a free term. 

You can see the HNL standings HERE. 

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

ZAGREB, 23 July 2022 - Bicycles, scooters, roller skates and additional equipment worth HRK 16,650 were given on Saturday to parents and children from Ukraine who have found refuge in Osijek and participate daily in activities conducted by Dkolektiv, a social development organisation from the eastern city.

The money was raised in a cycling campaign organised by Dkolektiv and the Slagalica foundation as part of which cycling duo Igor Toman and Ivica Lenard cycled 540 km from Zagreb to Trogir on the coast.

The objective was to raise HRK 15,000 but eventually HRK 16,650 was raised via 57 donations, said Mirna Šmit of Slagalica.

Bruno Koić of Dkolektiv said that before the campaign they mapped the needs of the children from Ukraine coming to their Social Studio every day. Our wish is to make their stay here as dynamic and nice as possible, he added.

The campaign organisers thanked Zagreb, Rijeka, Jastrebarsko, Trogir and Supetar for their logistic and financial support.

Toman and Lenard are disabled war veterans.

We went through a war and know what it's like, Toman said, adding that with this campaign they wanted to welcome the Ukrainian friends.

They started on 17 June and the ride took a little over 40 hours without interruption.

July 22, 2022 - The latest flight news to Croatia as Trade Air domestic lines are once again delayed, this time until August 15. 

Private Croatian airline Trade Air has once again delayed the start of operations on domestic PSO lines, reports Croatian Aviation. 

Trade Air announced on its website that it is once again postponing the start of operations on domestic PSO lines. The mentioned lines have been suspended since May, and the start of operations was first announced for June, then for July 1, and then for July 18. Finally, the lines had last been announced for August 1, which now will not happen. The new planned date for the start of operations is August 15.

The announcement reads as follows: "Dear passengers, unfortunately, Trade Air expects to re-establish domestic flights only on August 15, 2022, after receiving confirmation from the relevant authorities. Sales will not open before August 1, so we invite you to visit us again after an unspecified date. When the sales open, we will announce it through established communication channels (news, Facebook, and Instagram)".

As a reminder, this summer Trade Air should operate on the following routes:

Osijek - Zagreb - Osijek,

Osijek - Pula - Split - Pula - Osijek,

Osijek - Rijeka - Osijek,

Rijeka - Split - Dubrovnik - Split - Rijeka,

Osijek - Zadar - Osijek, and

Rijeka - Zadar - Rijeka.

The number of weekly frequencies remains the same as in the previous four-year period, except for the lines between Osijek and Zadar and Rijeka and Zadar, which will operate once a week.

These lines are extremely important for Osijek Airport, which could have recorded high interest in the summer months due to the planned larger aircraft (Saab340 with 34 seats), and lines to airports on the coast. Due to bureaucracy, these lines won't run until mid-August, and considering that the start of traffic has already been postponed several times, it is difficult to say whether the lines will actually start operating from the specified date.

Once they start, all lines except the ones mentioned to and from Zadar will operate throughout the year, which is important not only for Osijek but also for other Croatian airports.

For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

July 22, 2022 - Osijek and Rijeka played the first leg of the Conference League 2nd qualifying round on Thursday night. 

Osijek beat Kazakhstani club Kyzylzhar 2-1 (0-0) away in the first match of the Conference League 2nd qualifying round. Osijek went into the match as favorites, which is confirmed by the fact that they are six times more valuable than Kyzylzhar.

In the Kazakhstan championship so far, Kyzylzhar played 15 games with only three wins, six draws, and the same number of losses with a goal difference of 15:20.

Osijek thus achieved their first away European victory after five years with goals in the second half. Mihret Topčagić scored a header in the 58th minute, while Laszlo Kleinheisler headed into the net in the 76th to make it 2-0. In the 84th, an incredible own goal was scored by Darko Nejašmić for the final 2-1 Osijek. Osijek even scored a third goal at the very end of the match, but it was disallowed as it was called offside. 

The return match will be played in Osijek next Thursday. 

Rijeka played later Thursday night in the Conference League 2nd qualifying round at Rujevica against Swedish club Djurgarden. Rijeka, unfortunately, lost 1-2 to Djurgarden.

Djurgarden has already played 14 rounds of the domestic championship compared to Rijeka, who have only played the first round of the Croatian championship against Šibenik.

Rijeka started well and took the lead with a goal by captain Haris Vučkić in the 13th minute, but Hampus Finndell equalized in the 38th minute, and Victor Edvardsen, who assisted the first goal, brought a complete turnaround and victory for Djurgarden in the 54th minute. 

The second leg in Stockholm is scheduled for next week. 

Recall, in the first leg of the Champions League 2nd qualifying round, Dinamo and Shkupi drew 2:2 at Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb on Tuesday. 

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

July 18, 2022 - Hajduk, Osijek, and Rijeka learn their possible opponents in the Conference League 3rd round qualifiers beginning early next month. 

In the Conference League 3rd round qualifiers, Hajduk Split will play against the winner of the match between Portuguese club Vitória de Guimarães and Hungarian club Puskas Akademia.

Hajduk enters the hunt for its first European autumn after more than a decade and will have a difficult task ahead. Vitória de Guimarães finished sixth in the championship, and the team is full of young internationals - their average age is 23.6. According to Transfermarkt, the value of the team is estimated at 42 million euros, which is slightly more than Hajduk (41.4 million euros).

The last time they competed in Europe was in the 2019-2020 season when they were eliminated in the Europa League group stage.

Vitoria's best player is the young 22-year-old Andre Almeida, who is already a sought-after commodity on the market. Transfermarkt values him at 5 million euros, and reportedly Wolverhampton has already sent an offer of almost 10 million euros for the midfielder.

Puskas is the easier opponent, as several players have left the club, including new Hajduk player Toni Borevković.

The Hungarian club is much smaller than Vitoria, and Transfermarkt estimates them at 12.3 million euros. Jakov Puljić stands out among the better players. They finished third in the championship, 17 points behind Ferencvaros.

Puskas is also known for its fantastic stadium, the Pancho Arena, which was built in 2014 and accommodates 3,816 fans at total capacity.

Osijek and Rijeka could also play in the same stage of the competition if they are successful in the 2nd qualifying round.

If Osijek beats FC Kyzylzhar in the 3rd qualifying round, they can face Bulgarian club Botev Plovdiv or APOEL from Cyrpus. On the other hand, if Rijeka knocks out Swedish club Djurgården, they will play against Romanian club Sepsi Sfantu Gheorghe or Slovenian club Olimpija Ljubljana in the next round of qualifications. 

Hajduk will be the host in the first game, and the second leg will be played away, while Osijek and Rijeka will be guests in the first games, and the second legs will be played at home.

The first matches will be played on August 4, and the second leg on August 11.

Conference League 3rd qualifying round
Hajduk - Vitória de Guimarães (Portugal) or Puskas Akademia (Hungary)

Botev Plovdiv (Bulgaria) or APOEL (Cyprus) - Osijek

Sepsi (Romania) or Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia) - Rijeka

Dinamo Zagreb also learned their possible opponent in the Champions League 3rd qualifying round and the Europa League 3rd qualifying round.

If Dinamo wins against North Macedonian club KF Shkupi, they will play against the winner of the match between Ludogorec and Shamrock Rovers in the 3rd preliminary round of the Champions League.

If they advance to the 3rd preliminary round, Dinamo will play the first match away on August 2 or 3, while the return match will be played at Maksimir a week later.

If they lose against Shkupi, Dinamo will continue their European journey in the 3rd qualifying round of the Europa League, where they will play against the losers from the same pair, Ludogorec - Shamrock Rovers.

The first match of the Europa League 3rd round qualifiers will be played on August 4, and the second week later, on August 11.

Source: Gol.hr

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