Omerović's Perfect 'Ten' Shatters Rudeš
In the second round, Osijek routed Rudeš 6-1, with Nail Omerović scoring a hat-trick to confirm his status as the season's early standout.
In the second round, Osijek routed Rudeš 6-1, with Nail Omerović scoring a hat-trick to confirm his status as the season's early standout.
Osijek continued their explosive start to the new SuperSport HNL season. In the second-round match played on August 8, 2026, the visitors triumphed 6-1 away to Rudeš, with the inspired Nail Omerović doing most of the damage by netting his second league hat-trick.
After their opening win against Gorica (2-0), Osijek secured another victory, and Omerović has already scored four goals in just two appearances. His performance against Rudeš was so impressive it earned a perfect 'ten'.
Although Rudeš started the match solidly, their resistance was short-lived. Osijek took the lead in the 11th minute through Leon, who scored his first goal of the match. The same player quickly doubled the lead with his second goal, after which Omerović took center stage.
He found the back of the net for the first time in the 41st minute, and just three minutes later, he scored his second goal of the match. The teams went into the break with a commanding 4-0 lead for Federico Bessone's side.
In the second half, Osijek kept their foot on the gas. A beautiful goal from Arnel Jakupović made it 5-0, before Omerović delivered the final blow. In the 81st minute, following a rebound from Domagoj Bukvić, he completed his second hat-trick in the SuperSport HNL. The home side's consolation goal came from Lenny Ilečić.
This is not the first time Omerović has scored three times in a league match. Last season, he achieved the same feat in a 4-0 victory over Vukovar, scoring in stoppage time of the first half and then in the 73rd and 87th minutes.
After the match, Osijek coach Federico Bessone commented on the game for MAXSport. Despite the impressive scoreline, he admitted that the opening wasn't at the desired level.
"I'm happy for the players, especially with the result. However, we didn't start the way we wanted. We made some unforced errors, but it's fine. We were lucky with the goals, and after that, we were in complete control. Then we showed the full capacity this team has," said Bessone.
With this victory, Osijek maintained a perfect record at the start of the season and signaled that they will once again be serious contenders for the top of the table.
