Five goals for a 10-point lead and the 22nd championship title in the HNL. That's how Dinamo looked after a magnificent performance at Rujevica where they outplayed Rijeka 5-1 with an interesting "numbers game". It was three points in the 33rd round for a title won three rounds before the end. The Blues have thus escaped their closest challenger, Osijek, by an unreachable 10-point margin with three rounds remaining.

It was a victory in grand style, inspired play and pressure that forced the home defence into as many as three own goals. The hosts and guests alternately shook Rijeka's net: Rijeka players scored the odd-numbered goals for Dinamo, while Dinamo players scored the even-numbered strikes.

Luka Menalo scored after just 21 seconds of play to give Rijeka the lead. Stjepan Lončar crossed into the middle, and Menalo slid in at the edge of the penalty area and slammed it into the net. Dinamo equalised in the 42nd minute. Mislav Oršić, after a one-two with Lovro Majer on the left flank, raced to the goal line and sent back a cross which home defender Nino Galović ran onto at the edge of the penalty area and awkwardly deflected into his own net with his heel.

At the start of the second half, Josip Mišić collected a long ball on the left side, found his position for a shot and from 20 metres with his right foot spectacularly found the far corner. Just two minutes later came the third, "odd-numbered" goal, which was again signed by players in white jerseys. Luka Ivanušec danced on the right side, cut inside, and Rijeka defender Luka Capan ran onto the ball at the edge of the penalty area which deflected into the net.

The hosts could have pulled one back in the 54th minute, but Menalo hit the crossbar. About ten minutes later, Ivanušec combined on the right side of the penalty area, passed across to Petar Stojanović, who delivered a sharp cross, and Oršić cleverly stuck out his leg to give the Blues a 4-1 lead.

The story was concluded in the 88th minute when Majer played Ivanušec through with a spectacular deep ball to the left, he delivered a sharp cross into the middle, and home left-back Andrija Vukčević slid in and deflected the ball into his own net.