In the first Saturday test of the 14th round of the HNL, Dinamo football players beat Varaždin 3-1 (2-0) at the Maksimir stadium, which at least temporarily brought them within a point of the leader Hajduk.
In the real one in the winter scenery of Dinamo took the lead in the 31st minute with a goal Sergio Dominguez. Just six minutes later Arber Hoxha made it 2-0, and man of the match Hoxha scored his second goal in the 53rd minute for 3-0. In the 87th minute, Luka Škaričić was the only scorer for Varaždin.
Dinamo now has 28 points, and the leading Hajduk 29, with the fact that the people of Split will play their match of this round on Saturday. The people of Split are visiting Rijeka in Rujevica in the car derby, and that match starts at 6 pm. Varaždin is fourth and has two points less than Slaven Belup.
It’s a match better opened Varaždin which pressed Dinamo from the first minute and almost the whole time was played in the home half of the field. There were not too many dangers for the hosts, but Varaždin had the ball, attacked, pressed and was much more engaged at the start of the match.
In the middle of the first part, it started awakening Dinamo who, unlike his rivals, managed to create several good opportunities, but also scored from them. Dinamo did not take advantage of the first one, in the 27th minute McKenna could have reacted faster, but in the end the rival players blocked his attempt.
In the 31st minute, Zajc threw the ball in, and Dominguez jumped over everything and headed it to make it 1-0. Just six minutes later, Dinamo increased their lead. The action ended with a cross from Lisica, while he was in front of the visitors’ goal Hoxha reacted best and scored from close range for 2-0.
Very soon at the beginning of the continuation, Dinamo definitely took a step towards victory. After a very nice action by Zajc and Hoxha in the 53rd minute, the latter scored his second Saturday goal, this time for 3-0. Zajc, previously a two-time assistant on trial, hit the post in the 57th minute.
Varaždin was broken already after two quick goals in the first half, and after the third, the guests almost disappeared from the field. Dinamo was better until the end, and from the 60th to the 75th minute, Lisica and Beljo came up short twice in good chances to increase the score to 4-0. By the end of the match, the guests scored an honorable goal, the scorer for 1-3 was Škaričić in the 87th minute.
The first match of the 14th round is on Friday Slaven Belupo outplayed at home in Koprivnica Vukovar 1991 with 4-1. Jagušić and Nestorovski each scored two goals for Slaven Belupo.
The weekly program starts at 2 p.m. with a match between Osijek and Lokomotive, while everything ends with a match between Gorica and Istria 1961 at 6:15 p.m.
(Hina | Photo: Matija Habljak/Pixsell)
