Dinamo's winning streak stopped, city derby won by Lokomotiva

Dinamo's winning streak came to an end this Sunday in the city derby at Maksimir. In the 9th round of the SuperSport HNL, Lokomotiva defeated the team of coach Mario Kovačević with a score of 2:1 on the Maksimir pitch.

Dinamo's coach fielded almost the same lineup that had defeated Israeli Maccabi 3:1 in the Europa League three days earlier in Bačka Topola, with the only difference being that Ismaël Bennacer played instead of Miha Zajc.

Right from the start of the match, the Blues threatened twice. First, Arbër Hoxha penetrated the right side but pushed the ball too hard at a crucial moment. In the next attack, Moris Valinčić entered the penalty area from the left, was under pressure from the opposing defender, and lost his balance.

Bannacer launched a long ball to the left over half of the field in the 14th minute, Hoxha accepted it, ran to the goal line, played it back to the penalty area, but Dion Drena Beljo was just a bit short.

Lokomotiva took the lead in the 21st minute, Fabijan Krivak sent a low vertical ball into the penalty area, Aleksa Stojaković ran in and deflected it into the goal from about ten meters away. The referees, after reviewing the VAR, judged that there was no offside at the moment of Krivak's pass, but it seems that in the meantime the ball was deflected to Stojaković by Dušan Vuković.

Dinamo came close to equalizing in the very next attack, Hoxha unleashed a powerful shot from the left, goalkeeper Josip Posavec parried the ball, and Bennacer followed up but hit the crossbar.

This was followed by another action in which Lokomotiva's goalkeeper deflected the ball for a corner after a strong shot from Mateo Lisica, shortly after Beljo attempted a shot from a half-turn that went wide of the post. Hoxha also tried his luck fiercely from 18 meters, but over the goal.

At the very end of the first half, during Lokomotiva's pressure, Matija Subotić sharply turned from the right side low to the top of the six-yard box where Vuković swiftly entered and shook the net. Upon reviewing the VAR, the referees found that at the beginning of the action, Stojaković stopped Bennacera with a foul, who was surrounded by three opposing players at the time.

At the beginning of the second half, Bennacer crossed from a free kick from the left side, Beljo headed the ball, and Posavec made a save by "pulling out" the ball from under the crossbar.

The Lynxes increased their lead in the 61st minute, Scott McKenna returned the ball to goalkeeper Ivan Nevistić, he did it too strongly, Dinamo's goalkeeper failed to control it which was taken advantage of by Krivak. In the battle for the ball, Nevistić stopped him with a foul, and the referee pointed to a penalty which Marko Pajač converted into a goal for 2:0.

Dinamo reduced the score six minutes later. Matteo Perez Vinlöf, after a one-two with Luka Stojković, crossed from the left, Sandro Kulenović received the ball, with his back to the goal, played in Mounsef Bakrar, he set up Beljo who skillfully chipped it from the right and hit the opposite top corner.

Just in the 78th minute, Beljo played a low pass to Stojković, who didn't manage to strike it well, so Posavec calmly tamed it. Lokomotiva then launched an attack in which Stojaković found himself completely alone in front of Nevistić, but in a clear chance, he sent the ball wide of the goal. Dinamo tried to equalize, and in the referee's added time, Josip Mišić and Mounsef Bakrar fiercely aimed for it, but the ball flew just above the crossbar in both cases.

Zagreb, October 5, 2025.

SuperSport HNL, Round 9

Lokomotiva - Dinamo 2:1

Maksimir Stadium

Lokomotiva: Posavec - Vešović, Kolinger, Diop, Jukić, Pajač - Krivak (79th Šitum), Bošković (79th Lorber), Subotić (74th Žaper), Vuković (74th Goričan) - Stojaković (88th Dajčer)

Coach: Nikica Jelavić

Dinamo: Nevistić - Valinčić, Theophile, McKenna, Goda (46th Perez Vinlöf) - Mišić; Lisica (46th Bakrar), Ljubičić (58th Kulenović), Bennacer (81st Zajc), Hoxha (66th Stojković) - Beljo

Coach: Mario Kovačević

Referee: Zdenko Lovrić (Đakovo)

Scorers: 1:0 Stojaković (21st), 2:0 Pajač (61st - pen), 2:1 Beljo (67th)