Football is known as having unpredictable outcomes and Osijek missed out on vital points.

NK Osijek has lost against Slaven Belupo at the end of the season, the latter having won over the former for the first time this competitive year. As we had anticipated, it was an interesting match, unpredictable to the very end.

It’s the type of uncertainty in which everything can be turned in an instant, as proven by the match in Gradski Stadion in Koprivnica. Not long ago, we commented on the match results vs Inter and we may very well conclude that Osijek was a stone’s throw away from winning it all.

 

Boban missed the chance

Despite many of his roster being non-present and some additional new solutions which Zekic implemented, NK Osijek looked good in the final championship match for most of its duration. The squad attempted to outplay their opponent and vice versa, there were chances on both sides and Zekic’s squad managed to get the lead in the right moment. In the final seconds of the first half, Jambor assisted Mudrazija’s masterful shot from the edge of the penalty area for the lead.

As the match continued, the home team began to lay pressure on Osijek with Arap hitting the post from afar, but Osijek didn’t preserve their lead, but instead tried to increase it to triumphantly close the match. They would’ve succeeded in that effort had it not been for Boban’s losing a one-on-one against Slaven goalkeeper Markovic, but alas, the ball didn’t find its way into the opposing net.

 

 

Lack of Focus for 100 Seconds

It didn’t seem that Koprivnica’s finest were shy of an equalizer, irrespective of their seeming tame compared to NK Osijek, where Osijek’s backline neutralized Koprivnica’s attempts at the goal. Then, minute 73 came when Boban received his 2nd yellow card due to an aggressive tackle. Previously, BOban had received a warning by ref debutee Culjak, who accused Boban of unsportsmanlike behavior where Boban tried to appeal for a penalty kick.

The away team played with 1 man down and that was the pharmacists’ signal to start playing more dangerously, which paid off. In the 84th minute, young Rebernik found himself in the penalty area and scored, with Ivanovski scoring a header a mere 100 seconds later for a final 2-1. In these moments, Osijek’s defence found themselves at a loss and the points didn’t go to Osijek. A pity, since Osijek could’ve done a better job at finishing off the season.