Mikolčić gave Osijek the lead as early as the second minute, but Istra turned the game around before the final whistle. In the next round, the White and Blues will once again play at home, this time against Gorica.
In the ninth round of the SuperSport Croatian Football League, our team suffered its first home defeat of the season. Osijek lost 1–3 to Istra 1961 in front of 6,016 spectators at Opus Arena. Osijek took the lead very early, in the second minute, thanks to a superb free-kick goal by Šimun Mikolčić. However, the visitors managed to equalise before half-time and then scored two more goals in the second half.
“Yes, this is a disappointing result because we expected much more. Although we started well, scored very early and took the lead, I think we played well in the first half, whereas the second half was very difficult for us. Everything was completely different after the break. I think they won every second ball. After that, it was very difficult for us to regain possession and create anything more or better. That was precisely what made the difference in their favour,” said Jay Kruiver, the Dutch right-back in the White and Blues’ squad.
Following the defeat against Istra, the White-and-Blues are now turning their attention to the next round and their match against Gorica at Opus Arena.
“We knew even before the match that they were a very good team. We watched footage of their games and had a good game plan for today. Unfortunately, however, we ended up losing. Now we need to bounce back with a win in the next round and take all three points in our next match. That is what we want.”
