Young midfielder Ivan Canjuga shone with two goals in Varaždin's 4-1 away victory over Slaven Belupo, confirming his status as the most pleasant surprise of the season's start. The Canjuga name has already made history in Croatian football.
Varaždin's footballers continued their excellent start to the new HNL season. In Sunday's Round 2 clash, they dismantled Slaven Belupo 4-1 at the Ivan Kušek Apaš Stadium. The hero of the match was Ivan Canjuga, who with two goals and an outstanding overall performance has emerged as the league's new sensation.
The visitors dominated from the outset, with Canjuga opening the scoring in the 26th minute. After a brilliant through ball from Slovenian Gregor Sikošek, he entered the box and slotted home past the near post. Just two minutes later, Luka Mamić capitalized on a mistake by home goalkeeper Karlo Sentić, who needlessly rushed 25 meters off his line; Mamić rounded him and rolled the ball into an empty net for 2-0.
Varaždin's third goal came from Alekse Latković in the 44th minute. Following an assist from Ivan Mamut, he broke down the right flank and fired a powerful shot into the far corner. Slaven Belupo pulled one back in the 71st minute through experienced Macedonian Ilija Nestorovski, but seven minutes later Canjuga put the game to bed. After a low cross from Matej Vuk on the right, he set himself at the edge of the box and curled an unstoppable left-footed shot under the crossbar for the final 4-1. The match was officiated by Duje Strukan from Split.
Ivan Canjuga arrived at Varaždin quietly from Lokomotiva. Coach Nikola Šafarić recognized his potential, moved him from the wing to midfield, and since then the youngster has truly flourished. His surname is not unfamiliar to older football fans; Zlatko Canjuga once played for Dinamo, or Croatia, during the 1990s.
According to Telegram's data, in four matches this season, Ivan has recorded two goals and three assists. Against Jablonec in Europe, he set up two goals in a 3-2 win, and in the first round against Hajduk, he assisted the opening goal. Varaždin, after being eliminated from the Conference League, has opened the league campaign with two victories.
Against Slaven, his performance was on par with a man-of-the-match display. He registered three key passes, converted two of four shots on target, and completed an impressive 44 of 50 passes. On Sofascore, he earned a rating of 9.3 for his efforts, clearly setting him apart from all other players on the pitch.
With this win, Varaždin joined Osijek and Lokomotiva at the top of the table with a perfect six points. Osijek thrashed Rudeš 6-1 on Saturday, while Lokomotiva beat Gorica 3-1. Dinamo and Rijeka have three points each and a postponed head-to-head match that will be played at a later date.
Round 2 concludes with tonight's clash at Poljud, where Hajduk will host Istra 1961 at 9 PM. Both clubs are yet to pick up a point and will be seeking their first win of the new season.
