Hajduk Jump Past Dinamo to Top of the SuperSport HNL

Hajduk beat Slaven Belupo 1-0 at Poljud in round seven of the SuperSport HNL, with Brazilian forward Dalisson netting the only goal in the 22nd minute. The win was Gonzalo Garcia’s side’s fifth league victory in a row, and it sends them to the top of the table. Hajduk now sit a point clear of Osijek, and three points above both Dinamo and Varaždin, who have a game in hand.

Hajduk set the tempo from the first whistle, with Bamba a constant threat down the right. The hosts thought they’d broken the deadlock in the 15th minute when Hrgović fired home after a quick break and Šego turned the ball into the net, but the effort was ruled out for offside.

The breakthrough eventually came in the 22nd minute, and it came from the same source: Bamba again got to the byline and whipped in a cross from the right, and this time Dalisson rose highest to plant a precise header past Sentić and put Hajduk 1-0 up. It was the Brazilian’s fourth goal in just 15 appearances for the club since arriving on loan from Córdoba in the summer, alongside four assists. It underlined just how well he’s settled in at Poljud.

The tempo dropped considerably after the break. Hajduk were happy to control possession while Slaven struggled to fashion anything in reply. In the 70th minute Dalisson turned provider, squaring for Carlos Martín, who blazed over from a promising position. The game’s defining moment came in the 79th minute, when Filip Mažar was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Dalisson and had to leave the field. With a man advantage for the final stretch, Hajduk saw out the win without any further alarms.

Osijek stunned Dinamo 4-2 in seven-goal thriller

On Saturday, Osijek beat Dinamo 4-2 at Opus Arena in round seven’s other big clash. The hosts were excellent in the first half, racing into a 2-0 lead through Armando León before extending it to 300 with a goal from Luka Vrbančić — only to be made to sweat for the win late on.

Osijek opened the scoring in the 12th minute when Domagoj Bukvić whipped in a cross from the right and León rose highest in the box to head past Dominik Kotarski. The second goal followed in the 34th minute: Dinamo failed to make the most of a chance of their own, and Osijek broke swiftly the other way — after a shot from Ljatifi was saved by Kotarski, León was on hand to bundle the rebound home for 2-0.

Dinamo had a handful of half-chances in the first half without seriously testing Marko Malenica, coming closest through a Miha Zajc free-kick and an Arber Hoxha header from a cross. Mario Kovačević made a triple substitution at the break, but the changes didn’t immediately shift the picture. Osijek kept pushing and made it 3-0 in the 60th minute, when former Dinamo man Luka Vrbančić raced onto a ball in behind after a quick counter and calmly slotted past Kotarski.

Dinamo hit back just a minute later — after a scramble in the box, the ball fell to Zajc, who pulled one back to make it 3-1.

Dinamo pushed hard for a way back into the game in the closing stages. Frane Topić came closest in the 81st minute, heading against a great save from Malenica after a Kačavenda cross. Then, in the 90th minute, Malenica brought down Galešić inside the box, and the referee pointed to the spot. Smail Prevljak converted in the 92nd minute to make it 3-2 and set up a frantic finish.

But Osijek held their nerve, and in the 96th minute they put the result beyond doubt. A major mix-up in the Dinamo defence left Domagoj Bukvić with an empty net to finish into, sealing a 4-2 win. It was a statement victory for Osijek, proof they can go toe-to-toe with the league’s best — and Dinamo’s first league defeat of the season.