Osijek Celebrates in Gorica, Carević: Without Reinforcements We Are Not Competitive
The visitors settled the winner by the 15th minute, and Gorica's coach openly spoke about the lack of quality and the necessity of new signings.
The visitors settled the winner by the 15th minute, and Gorica's coach openly spoke about the lack of quality and the necessity of new signings.
Osijek's footballers convincingly opened the new SuperSport HNL season with a 0-2 away win against Gorica. The first-round match of the 2026/27 season, played on Sunday, August 2, 2026, saw complete dominance by the guests from Slavonia, who settled the winner within the first fifteen minutes of play.
According to Osijek Express, Doček netted the opener in the 7th minute, and just seven minutes later, Omerović calmly converted a penalty for 0-2. The penalty was won by 17-year-old Jona Ježić, who was brought down in the box by Gorica's Perić.
After the match, Gorica's coach Mario Carević did not hide his disappointment with his team's performance. Speaking to Tportal, he stated that his side currently does not look competitive enough.
Today we had nothing; congratulations to Osijek on a more than deserved victory. Honestly, it could have been even more convincing. At this moment, they are far superior, both individually and as a group.
Carević particularly emphasized his concern for the rest of the season if the squad is not strengthened. As reported by City Portal VG, the Gorica strategist was clear in his demand to the club's management.
We have to do something about reinforcements. I'm not worried about one match, but about the remaining 35 matches; I think we won't be competitive if we don't bring in quality signings. You saw that every attack breaks down on basic passing; we're not good at that, that's a fact.
Match data further illustrate the difference in quality on the pitch. City Portal VG notes that Gorica managed only nine shots on goal, while Osijek fired off 27. The hosts created just three clear-cut chances, two of which were missed by new striker Patrik Mijić and one by Luka Vrzić.
Carević also highlighted the key difference in the attacking third, where the visitors constantly posed a threat through individual quality: "The three or four in attack made the difference every time. Through dribbling or individual actions, they created shooting opportunities. We don't have that right now."
On the other side, celebrations in the Osijek camp were complete. Osijek Express describes how 17-year-old Jona Ježić, who won the penalty for the second goal, couldn't stop "fidgeting" with joy while waiting for a question after the match. The young player was pleased with the display but also aware that he needs to keep up the same pace.
We fought in defense, the ball flowed forward, we were dangerous. Hats off to us. We have to continue like this.
This victory gave Osijek's Argentine coach Federico Bessone a successful debut on the bench, while Gorica received a serious warning after just the first round. The next round sees them travel to Lokomotiva, who earlier beat Istra in Pula.
