BIG TROPHY GOES TO OSIJEK

The triumph of NK Osijek’s U-19 team was great indeed, for they won the Croatia Cup in Ivankovo! The trophy went to Osijek, but congratulations and commendations go to Lokomotiva, who put up a great fight in the finals, proving themselves a worthy rival to Osijek. The final outcome was decided during a penalty shootout, making the victory sweeter, with a dash of luck and a lot of effort to boot. The deciding factor was surely Osijek’s goalkeeper Marko Barešić, who said the following words post-match:

“A truly hard and uncertain finale, a truly even match until the very end. I think that we deserve the victory because we’re simply the better team, especially after having played a great first-half. They had Kastrati, who was really fast and eluded us in one occasion and scored, but after that, no real threats were posed to us. We created better opportunities and my teammates say that one goal wasn’t approved, without any valid arguments, when an offside was called. When it comes to penalty shootouts, luck is a deciding factor and she smiled upon me, while the goalkeeper wasn’t as fortunate. I am jumping for joy because this is my first trophy and I congratulate all my teammates for this great win.”

Season’s Goal was Realized

All players are to be congratulated for this win, the roster being as follows: Patrick Stanić, Boško Šutalo, Marin Magdić, Filip Lišnić, Tomislav Soldić, Alves Pereira Oliveira Talys, Adam Benić, Mateo Jakšić, Robert Mišković, Luka Bubalo, Tomislav Bliznac, Ivan Durdov & Marijo Rajić.

Osijek’s back Šutalo said that that they were the better squad the entire game and that no one had any valid criticisms to point at our victory. Additionally, the opponents had a dozen primary players who were really good, however, we managed to realize our aims. This trophy, according to Šutalo, motivated all of Osijek to keep chasing the win.

Osijek II probable Heir to Throne

The professional staff was helmed by Dino Skender and his aides from Osijek II, namely Karlo Primorac, Dino Krolo and Filip Šušnjara, as well as Tomislav Radotić, who successfully guided the U-19 through the championship race. The main scout and hand of the sports director Marin Skender and Ivica Vranješ also helped, with Ivica included in selecting the squad. All of them really gave the credit to the players, whose captain, Jakšić, said:

“This has been a taxing match because Lokomotiva proved to be a real rival to us. We dominated the first part, but the second half was truly even, while the penalty shootouts are always a lottery. We knew that Barešić can be a deciding factor in that situation and we are proud to have him on our team. All in all, I think we deserve this trophy. I congratulate our U-17 players who held their own in their finale and I hope that they will be more fortunate in the future. I have the satisfaction to play both for the U-19 and for Osijek II, with whom I won the spot in the 2^nd League and I don’t doubt for a second that we will also win the number 1 Title so that this season will surely be forever in my memory.”