Rijeka celebrated in the derby against Dinamo in the 32nd round of the Croatian First League. With a 1:0 win at Maksimir, the race for the championship is interesting once again.
Rijeka came to win with a fantastic goal by Maxwell Acosty, who hit a rocket from 20 meters out in the 39th minute. This is Rijeka’s first win at Maksimir in the championship in eight years, reports Index.hr on April 28, 2018.
Dinamo coach Nikola Jurčević was already in trouble ahead of the match. Borna Sosa and Filip Benković had slight injuries and were not on the bench, and the yellow cards of Doumbia, Ademi, Fiolić and Rrahmani were not to be put at risk. Debutants Gabriel and Karlo Muhar found themselves in the starting lineup, and an opportunity was given to Neven Đurasek and Borna Miklić in the end.
The Dinamo ‘B’ team played desperately the first half, which saw Rijeka with an opportunity already 2 minutes into the game. After Muhar lost the ball 30 meters from an open goal, Čolak slammed towards Livakovič but struck the stands.
Dinamo returned with an attempt by Gavranović who shot over the goal, and in the 21st minute, Bradarić was close to taking Rijeka in the lead. Three minutes later, Ante Ćorić called for a replacement after an injury.
Rijeka came to the lead in the 39th minute, and Acosty was the hero of the match after beating two Dinamo players. With an incredible strike from 20 meters out, Dinamo goalkeeper Livaković was defeated.
In the first half, Dinamo had only two shots on goal and none in the box and did not have a real chance until the 51st minute when Stojanović’s cross from the wing found the head of Gojak.
By the end of the match, Jurčević’s combined team hustled but did not create any dangerous chances – that was until the 4th minute of extra time when Perić fired in front of the goal. With this loss, Dinamo has thus allowed Hajduk to be just five points behind if they win at Koprivnica tomorrow.
Dinamo also heads to Koprivnica in the next round, after which they await Lokomotiva and Rudeš. In the last round, Dinamo plays Inter at Maksimir.
Rijeka is now just six points behind Dinamo, with Lokomotiva, Inter, and a derby against Hajduk at Rujevica to finish off the championship.
