Istra 1961 make it three points from three with commanding win over Slaven Belupo
Istra 1961 secured a comfortable 3-0 victory against Slaven Belupo at Stadion Aldo Drozina on Saturday afternoon. The win keeps them level on six points with eighth-placed visitors in the HNL Regular Season third round. Hosts had already shown resilience in their opening fixtures, drawing twice in their last two matches before this performance.
The decisive moment came early, by then. Filip Kutleša saw red in the third minute for Slaven Belupo, and the numerical advantage shifted immediately. And here's the thing about red cards — they don't always mean the game is over. Istra 1961 continued pressing, and the visitors' defensive shape never recovered its rhythm.
N. Skafar Zuzic opened the scoring in the sixteenth minute, converting pressure that had built since the dismissal. Antonio Maurić picked up a booking just before, perhaps sensing the game slipping away. The goal changed the complexion entirely, forcing Slaven Belupo to chase and leaving them exposed.
H. Jaganjac doubled the lead in the thirty-fifth minute, capitalising on the space created by the reduced opposition. He added his second in the fifty-sixth, and the visitors had no response. Substitutions followed in the second half, but the tactical imbalance was too great to overcome — Istra 1961 controlled the tempo while Slaven Belupo searched for something to play for.
The statistics tell the story clearly enough. Istra 1961 held 63 per cent possession and registered seven shots on target compared to four for the visitors. Three big chances created against none for Slaven Belupo shows where the quality lay. The hosts completed 376 passes to 176, and the difference in passes into the final third — 150 to 42 — was telling.
The result leaves Istra 1961 seventh and Slaven Belupo eighth, both on six points after six games. The hosts have drawn three and lost two, while the visitors have two wins and four defeats. This was the kind of match where three or four moments decide everything, and the rest is just background noise.