Jelenić: We Need to Keep Going Like This

Osijek played out a 0-0 draw against Varaždin at the Varteks Stadium, earning a point in Matchday 8 of the SuperSport Croatian Football League. The White and Blues kept the hosts from scoring, while having two goals disallowed themselves.

It was a tough match, as it always is when you play in Varaždin. We set ourselves up well and were aggressive and strong from the very beginning, so we deserved a positive result. In the end, a draw is probably a fair outcome. Of course, we can feel a little disappointed not to have won because we had two goals disallowed. Still, a point is a good result and we need to keep going like this, said White and Blues defender Luka Jelenić.

Osijek took the initiative in the second half, with Jelenić particularly highlighting Domagoj Bukvić’s disallowed goal.

We took the initiative in the second half, Bukvić scored a fantastic goal and it’s a shame it was disallowed. We weren’t rewarded with a win today, but we’re on the right track, and this match showed that as well. We know how difficult it is to pick up points in Varaždin, and I know that particularly well because I played here. That’s why I’ll repeat that a draw is a good result for us. I agree that we could have won, but we played another good match. We’re a young team and we’re heading in the right direction.

In the opening eight league matches, Osijek have recorded five wins, one draw and two defeats. Jelenić believes the team should not be satisfied with what they have achieved so far.

We have to be realistic and acknowledge that we’ve picked up a lot of points, and fully deserved them, but we shouldn’t be completely satisfied with what we’ve achieved. We have to keep striving for more. We know what we’ve been through over the past two years and we know that every match is another opportunity to prove ourselves. We’ll now use the break to get some proper rest and then keep moving forward.