The HNL bids a good farewell to another season this week after the final matches were played.
Saturday was full of matches, but the weekend was kicked off on Friday with a convincing 4-2 win by NK Inter Žaprešić.
Inter’s Ilija Nextorovski capped off his outstanding season with a hat trick, adding three more tallies to his already impressive 2015/16 resume. Nestorovski finishes off the season with a league-leading 25 goals.
The sendoff was fitting for Nestorovski as he will be joining Serie A’s Palermo next season.
Hajduk Split brought home their final three points of the season after taking a 3-2 win over Zagreb at Kranjčevićeva.
Zagreb seemed to have all but given up, starting several irregular players including goalkeeper Josip Čondrić, who’s decision making and lack of interest left him looking fit for a Sunday league.
The Torcida die-hards made the match interesting with their passion, but were briefly left without a match to cheer for when the referee haled play for several minutes due to a hail storm. Players soon came back out to finish the first half in a torrential down pour, which left the pitch looking more like a reflecting pool than a soccer field.
But goals were scored, and excitement was had. After going up 2-0 thanks to goals from Fran Tudor and Toma Bašić, Hajduk was given another advantage when Zagreb’s Stjepan Stubičan was sent off with his second yellow of the day.
Going down to 10 men only made Zagreb stronger, who scored two goals with the man disadvantage. Two goals was not enough though, as Tudor found the back of the net again to but the Bili up 3-2.
HNK Rijeka finishes off the season undefeated at their temporary home of Rujevica. Rijeka bid the stadium farewell with a 2-0 win over NK Istra 1961 thanks to goals from Marko Vesković and Josip Brezovec.
Rijeka will be christening their new home at New Kantrida next season.
In the meantime, Rijeka will be celebrating a second-place finish and will ready themselves for the second qualifying round of the Europa League this summer.
Dinamo Zagreb was handed their 11th consecutive trophy Saturday after their 4-0 defeat of NK Lokomotiva.
Dinamo will be entering the qualifying rounds of the Champions League while Lokomotiva will be doing the same in the Europa League.
Slaven Belupo capped off a successful season marked by an appearance in the Croatian Cup finals and a seventh-place finish with a 2-0 win at RNK Split.
Slaven secured their 10th win of the season.
The HNS is supposed to decide whether or not to issue first-league licenses today to Sibenik and Cibalia. Anyone hear anything yet?
Ziva,
You’re not the only person that I’ve heard that from today. No faith or the reach isn’t arms length?
oh boban after you love for milanovic something doesn’t sit right here, doesn’t make sense
Boban getting that role is the last news Pupper Suker and Mamic wanted to hear, although I doubt it impacts anything in Cro soccer.
Zvone Boban becomes one of Infantino’s right hand men! Ustani Zvone Hrvatska te zove!
MCOIS
but can NK Zagreb claim a direct line from present team to PNIŠK from back in the day? What exactly happened to PNIŠK from like the early 1900’s to WWII time?
That was me above.
And since we are all about correcting people on the ‘kvake’, I meant to spell it like this:
PNIŠK
It would be cool if someone bought NK Zagreb and renamed it to PNISK and created a city rivalry against Dinamo.
Sadly, the whole HASK vs Gradanski potential was eradicated by communism and today’s purgeri follow a team that shares the name of dozens of communist bloc countries.
It would be cool though if PNISK was brought back. Something that pre-dates everyone and comes from a time prior to even the first iteration of Yugoslavia.
2 HNL is healthiest Croatian league. No Maminjo match fixing. Wouldn’t be surprised if Sibenik earn promotion and refuse to go up.
What a shame. Charter member of the league. Never relegated. 1 title.
What’s the story with that team?
NKZ will only head down if someone can come up. If Cibalia or Sibenik can’t get a license in time, Zagreb will stay up and field another Sunday-league team in the HNL.
@ Faux Cro
Probably Cibalia. All depends on who can get 1st league licenses. Sibenik are due to play Istra in the promotion playoff, but I felt like I read something that Sibenik won’t be able to get a license probably so Istra will just stay up then.
Is NKZ definitely heading down? Or is the savez going to pull some strings and keep them up somehow?
As of right now, 2HNL has anther week left and it’s too close to call between Sibenik and Cibalia. There’s only 1 point separating them and they play each other on Saturday.We’ll find out after this weekend.
Then, whichever one of those teams loses will play NK Istra in the playoffs. Problem is, as far as I know, neither of those teams have a first-league license yet.
The excitement, huh?
Which team is going to be promoted from the second division?
8 points
not my style
@AM……don’t be so sensitive.
lol
…while in California no less.
@ Ante B.
I’ve heard if you fart loud enough during a mid-season snoozer at Maksimir vs. a Istra or NKZ, the Arenasport microphones should be able to pick it up.
@ AM
whoa, whoa, whoa chico
I made a positive comment about the league. The quality is getting better. Instead of winning the league by 20-25 points, Europski Dinamo only won it by 7 and Rijeka got within 3 points I think late in the seaon.
I watch the league pretty often on Saturday mornings, unlike many who comment on here about the league and never watch a minute of action.
Tresu se prazne Maksimirske tribine…
Nece biti lagano izdrzati nepostojeci Plavi Pakao igracima Slavena Belupa
MCOIS
Armada, go fuck yourself, if you don’t like the league don’t watch it.
Dinamo only won the league by 7 points!
The Mickey Mouse Prva Liga is making progress, people!!!