Jakupović Osijek's Golden Joker
Arnel Jakupović, Osijek's latest million-euro signing, came off the bench to score in the 90th minute and sink Lokomotiva, with coach Bessone revealing he's considering starting two strikers.
Arnel Jakupović, Osijek's latest million-euro signing, came off the bench to score in the 90th minute and sink Lokomotiva, with coach Bessone revealing he's considering starting two strikers.
Arnel Jakupović, Osijek's latest million-euro signing, has turned into the Blue-and-Whites' golden joker. Against Lokomotiva, he came off the bench, made a defensive intervention in the 75th minute to break up a dangerous counterattack, and scored in the 90th minute for the final 1:0 at Opus Arena. This was his second goal of the current season and his second in the last two matches.
In the 75th minute, Jakupović sprinted from the opponent's penalty area back to his own half to break up Lokomotiva's counterattack. The yellow card he received in that attempt was a small price for a potentially big problem for Osijek, as without his selfless effort, Lokomotiva would have had a four-on-two or even five-on-two situation in front of Osijek's goal.
Osijek coach Federico Bessone did not hide his delight. "He scored, but I'm really pleased with his defensive reaction. Those are the details, that's the intensity that Osijek has been missing in recent seasons. I have to be proud that the players give their all for the team," Bessone told Sportske novosti.
Unlike in previous seasons, Jakupović does not start this campaign as Osijek's first-choice striker. In the last three matches, his introduction has typically come around the 65th minute; he replaced Dolček against Gorica and Rudeš, and came on for young Ježić against Lokomotiva. After just 78 league minutes played, he's already close to matching his goal tally from last season in the HNL, where he found the net three times.
With two goals each after coming off the bench, Jakupović and Livaja are currently the most productive substitutes in the SuperSport HNL.
Although Armando Leone is established at the top of the Blue-and-Whites' attacking hierarchy, Bessone has hinted at the possibility of Leone and Jakupović starting together. "I thought about maybe starting with two strikers even against Lokomotiva. Jakupović's introduction against Lokomotiva gave us freshness, good energy, and a good link-up with Leone, and we'll see in the future if they'll start together. That's a good problem for me as a coach when I have a choice between players who are giving me so much at the moment," Bessone said.
Since joining the Blue-and-Whites, Jakupović has scored in 11 league matches. In eight of those, Osijek celebrated victory, while three ended without a winner. His first season at Opus Arena, which was incomplete as he missed the first and last four rounds of the league, ended with ten goals in all competitions.
Last season, his tally dropped to three goals in the HNL, or four including the Cup, after he suffered an injury just before the start of the season and never managed to find his rhythm. He also started the new season after missing a significant portion of the pre-season due to another injury this summer.
