Osijek was extremely close to a victory, despite Dinamo scoring a goal, all of it finishing with a beautiful game and tie.
For the 12th time, Osijek scored points. It’s a pity from our point of view that there was no victory at Maksimir. Dinamo’s score towards the end of extra time has dissatisfied Osijek fans, but wasn’t able to ruin the impression Osijek left on Dinamo. Dinamo neatly evaded defeat in front of its audience, whereas Osijek’s audience stayed hungry and is pushing its team to not be satisfied with a mere tie.
As Zoran Zekić had been saying prior to arriving in Zagreb, Osijek has the right to expect wins in every match, irrespective of the opponent or their rating, because Škorić and his lot showed their worth at the European level, therefore making Croatian League teams’ heads hurt. Additionally, Dinamo stays undefeated, almost winning once again on Saturday.
They deserved to win…
It was a delight to see Zekić’s finest play in the introductory 30 minutes. Everything went according to plan, so that Dinamo stayed powerless against Osijek’s assertive gameplay and control over the ball. Defenses quickly morphed into strong offenses, which gave Dinamo a headache. Everyone commented during the break that the away team was more versatile and concrete in their plays, but it was hardly possible that Dinamo won’t strike back.
The home team pressured all through the second half with some situations that almost equalized the score, especially in the 56th minute when Soudani wasn’t able to best the determined Malenica in a penalty kick, while Hodžić missed an unguarded goal a second after the goalkeeper’s defending the penalty kick.
A few dangerous attempts later, Hajradinović got stopped by the assisting referee during a good chance, with Boban’s shot almost missing the mark. Grgić had a almost shot an unmissable ball, Ejupi almost scoring for a 2-0. Therefore, all could say that Osijek’s victory was a sure thing, had it not been for their short-sightedness before the ref’s final whistle.
Competitive with the top dogs
Dinamo was, frankly, determined to equalize, but the closing minutes weren’t really showing that. In football, a lapse in focus can completely turn the game, which did occur to Osijek.
Osijek showed that by showing tactical superiority and determination, they can compete with the best clubs. That was the topic after their elimination from Europe, believing that Osijek could even the score against Rijeka, Dinamo and Hajduk. It’s the biggest virtue of Osijek that they presented at Maksimir, even if they didn’t win.
