The highly charged Croatian derby between Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split ended in a dramatic 2-2 draw, overshadowed by red cards, heated clashes, and a 12-minute suspension due to flares thrown onto the pitch. Fabio Cannavaro and Gennaro Gattuso, former Italy teammates turned rival coaches, watched as their teams fought an intense battle that left both sides frustrated.
Dinamo twice let their lead slip, while Hajduk, despite finishing with a two-man advantage, couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity to leapfrog Rijeka into first place, after the league leaders had drawn 0-0 against Gorica the day before.
Dinamo struck first, taking the lead just five minutes in through Baturina. However, a 31st-minute own goal by Franjic leveled the score, keeping the contest wide open. After halftime, Pierre-Gabriel restored Dinamo’s advantage in the 48th minute, but the match soon took a chaotic turn.
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At 55 minutes, Ristovski picked up a first yellow card, followed by a second just seven minutes later, reducing Dinamo to ten men. In response, Cannavaro introduced experienced players like Rog and Pjaca, but Hajduk began seizing control of possession and increasing their attacking pressure.
Tensions in the stands escalated, and by the 75th minute, Dinamo’s ultras hurled flares onto the pitch, covering the stadium in thick smoke and forcing referee Mateo Erceg to pause the game for 12 minutes.
Once play resumed, Gattuso’s Hajduk kept pressing, and their persistence paid off in the 91st minute, when Krovinovic slotted home the equalizer.
Dinamo, rattled by the late goal, saw Galesic sent off in the 100th minute following a reckless challenge on Lucic, confirmed after a VAR review.
With a two-man advantage, Hajduk threw everything forward in search of a winner, but despite seven minutes of added time, they couldn’t find the decisive goal.
As a result, Hajduk stays just one point behind league leaders Rijeka, while Dinamo’s title hopes fade, now stuck at 39 points and falling behind the race for the top.
