After the end of the championship season and the Croatian Cup final, HNK Rijeka and Goran Tomić agreed to terminate their cooperation, announced the Rujevica club.
“In the beginning, I would like to point out that the agreement was reached on my initiative, and I thank HNK Rijeka for coming out to meet me,” said Goran Tomić.
Tomić was appointed the coach of Rijeka at the beginning of March 2021, and at the end of the season, he took Rijeka to third place in the Croatian Championship. This season, Rijeka reached the Conference League playoffs, made it to the Croatian Cup final, and finished fourth place in the HNL.
“I would like to thank everyone at HNK Rijeka, starting with President Damir Mišković for the opportunity, Vice President Dean Šćulc, Robert Palikuča, and Ivan Mance, sports directors I worked with, club legend Srećko Juričić, general manager Luka Ivančić, but of course all the people in the club. Thanks to the professional staff I worked with every day, the players who played great games, and I am sure that we gave our best at all times. Rijeka will always remain in my fond memory as a wonderful part of my career. In the end, thank you to all the fans for their support,” concluded Goran Tomić.
Tomić spent 15 months at Rijeka or 63 games. He recorded 37 wins, 9 draws, and 17 defeats, with a 130:85 goal difference. He finished the first season on the Rijeka bench in third place, the second in fourth. He led the team to the Cup final in the second, beating Dinamo in the quarterfinals and then Osijek in the semifinals. However, Rijeka lost in the final against Hajduk. In the weeks before the Croatian Cup final, Rijeka did not show their best side. Since March 13 and the inexplicable defeat to Dragovoljac, Rijeka practically dropped out of the title race and ended the season with six losses and only four victories in the last 11 games.
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