Osijek suffered a 0-1 defeat to Rudeš at Opus Arena in Matchday 11 of the SuperSport HNL. In the first half, the White and Blues had a goal by Dolček disallowed for offside following a VAR intervention. In the second half, the White and Blues created chances but failed to convert them. The visitors, meanwhile, scored the winning goal around ten minutes before the end, somewhat fortunately, but it was enough to secure all three points.

First of all, I want to apologise to our fans who came to support us today. I owe them a big apology, especially for the way we played in the first half. That was unacceptable. They created several chances in the first half, while we had that disallowed goal, but apart from that, we created nothing in the opening half. We didn't carry out any of the plan we had prepared. I take responsibility for that. I think we corrected some things in the second half, especially in the first 25 minutes. We created chances and could have scored. And then that mistake happened. Marko usually saves us, and you know how it usually ends when a goalkeeper makes a mistake. But I would give my life for our captain, Malenica. We move on, said head coach Federico Bessone.

Absences and Too Many Wrong Decisions

It was expected to be another difficult match, and unfortunately, Osijek were unable to field a full-strength team, with some absences having a significant impact on the performance.

I'm disappointed because we prepared for the match, but for much of it we didn't feel comfortable on the ball. The fact is that we're also missing some players. We haven't had Jelenić for the last two matches, and today the injured Vrbančić, who is the brain of our team, was also absent. Petrusenko gave everything he had, but he's a different type of player. We were also missing Mikolčić, while Bukvić had to leave the pitch too early... Lately, I've been trying to find answers as to why we lost to Istra and why we didn't beat Gorica. We worked a lot in preparation for Rudeš, but then somehow it looked as though we hadn't prepared at all. We made too many wrong decisions, added Bessone.

Looking Ahead to the Next Match

The run of three home matches, from which we certainly expected more, has come to an end. However, the focus must now turn to how we can be more successful in the next round against Lokomotiva.

The good thing about football is that we already have an opportunity to bounce back with a win next week. It's a shame because, had we won today, we would have been second with 20 points, in an excellent position to dream of big things. However, we'll continue working as we have so far, keep fighting and hope to take all three points in the next round. We've taken just one point from a possible nine in these three home matches. It's hard to believe, although I think we only deserved to lose against Istra. But we didn't manage to do what we needed to do on the pitch. When you prove yourself and score goals, the points usually follow. The match against Lokomotiva will also be difficult, like every other match. They're a good opponent and, as I've said many times before, anyone can beat anyone in this league. You cannot relax for even a second, and that's my message to everyone, concluded the White and Blues' head coach.