Hajduk hit the heights

Exciting finish
NK Zagreb may have taken the championship two years ago, but the big two have resumed their dominance. This time Dinamo were defending the league title and Hajduk the Croatian Cup - and the season ended with the trophies swapped between the two, although the championship could have gone either way.

Hajduk ahead
When the league split in March, Hajduk seemed to be hot favourites, five points clear with ten games left. However their season nearly fell apart. First sports director Igor Stimac accosted the referee during a 1-0 win against HNK Rijeka on 10 April and received a six-month ban.

Coaching change
Then with three matches to go they were level on points with their arch-rivals after a 3-1 defeat by Dinamo - who now led on head-to-head record. Hajduk took drastic action, and replaced coach Zoran Vulic with caretaker Petar Nadoveza.

Title safe
Now it was Dinamo's turn to stumble. They were held 1-1 by NK Zadar - who ended sixth and last in the championship group - while Hajduk beat NK Rijeka 2-0. Further wins against NK Osijek and NK Varteks took the league title back to Split.

'Proud of this club'
Former Croatian international Stimac declared: "I am proud of this club and delighted with this victorious season. I prefer this title even to Croatia's [FIFA] World Cup bronze medal in France in 1998. We made our fans happy."

Dinamo consolation
Dinamo's supporters also had silverware to celebrate, though. With Hajduk eliminated from the cup at the quarter-final stage by NK Cibalia, Dinamo were clear favourites. And after drawing 1-1 at Varteks in the first leg of the cup final they played out a goalless return to win on away goals, adding the trophy to the Croatian Super Cup they retained by beating Hajduk 4-1 in July.

'Fake success'
Coach Nikola Jurcevic was not satisfied, though. He said: We won the Cup and Super Cup and we battled for the league title until the last round. But this is just a fake success. The only goal for one of these two clubs is to win the league title, to defeat their biggest rival. Dinamo failed in that mission this season."

Rijeka in Europe
Rijeka, like Dinamo, will enter next season's UEFA Cup, having finished a creditable third. However, coach Ivan Katalinic will be taking Hajduk into the UEFA Champions League after taking the helm at the title-winners for the third time.

Spehar strikes
Osijek's final day defeat by Dinamo ended their hopes of a UEFA Cup place, but striker Robert Spehar had the consolation of emerging the league's leading scorer with 18 goals. Varteks, under charismatic coach Miroslav Blazevic finished fifth, but were only pipped by the narrowest of margins in the cup final after a high-scoring run.

Zagreb survive
In the relegation group, NK Kamen Ingrad, NK Slaven Belupo and NK Inker Zaprešic always looked safe, leaving a three-way struggle between Zagreb, Cibalia and NK Marsonia. Zagreb, the 2001/02 champions, survived, helped by veteran Robert Prosinecki, who has now retired.

Duo condemned
With one game left Cibalia's 2-1 win against Kamen Ingrad condemned Marsonia to automatic relegation, to be replaced by NK Istra 1856. However, Cibalia were also to fall, losing 4-2 on aggregate to NK Medjimurje in a play-off.