Osijek Dominates Gorica 2-0, Bessone: We Changed Our Mentality
Argentine coach debuts with convincing win, Carević worried: 'We need reinforcements'
Argentine coach debuts with convincing win, Carević worried: 'We need reinforcements'
Osijek defeated Gorica 2-0 in the first round of the SuperSport HNL at Velika Gorica. Goals for the visitors were scored by Ivan Dolček in the 7th minute and Nail Omerović from a penalty, and according to 24sata Sport, the match showed a significant difference in quality between the two teams.
Osijek opened the match furiously. In the seventh minute, Ivan Dolček found the net to give the visitors the lead. Just ten minutes later, Nail Omerović converted a penalty to double the advantage. Although there is a slight discrepancy among sources regarding the exact minute of the second goal, 24sata Sport reports it came in the 17th minute, while Stijena.info mentions the 14th minute, seven minutes after the first goal.
Osijek's new coach, Argentine Federico Bessone, did not hide his satisfaction after his debut on the bench. "I'm very happy because we managed to change the mentality, which we lacked last season," he told 24sata Sport. He emphasized that the team prepared the match excellently and that the players understood from the start what was expected of them. "We pressed high, won second balls, and then threatened dangerously when we came out of that zone. We should have been 3-0 or 4-0 at half-time, but that's football," he added.
Bessone also stressed his satisfaction that his team did not stop after taking an early lead. "In the second half, we created many chances; we should have killed the game with another goal," he said, praising his players for their discipline and understanding of tactical ideas. He had a special message for the fans, who have suffered disappointments in recent seasons. "I came with the idea of changing the team's spirit. Today they saw that we can play good football. I hope more of them come next week," the Osijek coach said.
One of the most pleasant surprises for Osijek was 17-year-old Jona Ježić, who made only his fourth senior appearance. The young midfielder also won the penalty for his team. "We deserved the win. We started the match excellently. Usually teams drop off after taking the lead, but we continued, and credit to us," Ježić told 24sata Sport. He added that the most important thing was that the team kept a clean sheet and announced a fight for another victory in the next round against Rudeš. "If we beat Rudeš too, six points, great. We already have to think about that," he concluded.
On the other side, Gorica coach Mario Carević did not look for excuses for the heavy defeat. "First of all, congratulations to Osijek on a fully deserved victory. They were better from the first minute, and you can simply see the difference in quality," he told HRT Sport. He particularly highlighted the individual quality of the visitors, naming Omerović, Bukvić, and Dolček as players who made the difference. "Even when we were well positioned in pressing, they escaped our pressure through individual quality and created overloads," he added.
Carević was direct in assessing his team's situation. "We had nothing; congratulations to Osijek on a more than deserved victory. Honestly, it could have been even more convincing," he said for 24sata Sport. He stressed that he is not worried about one defeat but about the future. "I'm not worried about one match, but about the remaining 35. We must bring in reinforcements because this way we won't be competitive. We lack both depth and quality," the Gorica coach warned. He identified breaking out of pressure and attacking transition as key problems. "You saw that every attack breaks down on a basic pass. We're not good at that; that's a fact," Carević concluded, whose team faces a trip to Lokomotiva at Maksimir in the next round.
