Varaždin finished 4-1 at Slaven Belupo in the second round of the HNL regular season on Sunday, a result that left the visitors second in the table with 13 points and the hosts languishing eighth on six.
And here's the thing about the opening exchanges — Slaven Belupo thought they had taken the lead when L. Mamic was booked in the 19th minute, but the visitors turned it around quickly. L. Mamic scored for Varaždin in the 28th minute, ending a barren spell for the away side, and then A. Latkovic doubled the advantage before the break with a neat finish in the 44th minute.
To be fair, Slaven Belupo had possession — 57 per cent of the ball — but they lacked the cutting edge. They created two big chances of their own, but couldn't convert, while Varaždin were more clinical, taking eight shots on target and scoring three from them. By then the game was slipping away from the hosts.
I. Nestorovski pulled one back for Slaven Belupo in the 71st minute, but it was too little, too late. Canjuga restored Varaždin's two-goal cushion in the 78th minute, and the visitors never looked back. They worked the channels well, especially in the second half, and their full-backs provided width that Slaven Belupo couldn't match.
Both managers shuffled their decks in the second half. Slaven Belupo brought on J. Mitrovic and L. Banovec, while Varaždin introduced A. Jonsson, M. Marina, and I. Tavares. The substitutions didn't change the outcome, but they gave fresh legs to a game where one side had already rolled the dice and won.
The statistics tell a story of control without dominance. Slaven Belupo had more attacks — 113 to 99 — but Varaždin were sharper in the final third. They completed 304 passes compared to 485, but their key pass count of 18 versus 11 showed better decision-making. Shots on target were 8-6 in Varaždin's favour, and their goalkeeper made five saves to four.
For Slaven Belupo this is a setback after a mixed start — they beat Sesvete 4-0 but lost to Dinamo Zagreb 2-0. For Varaždin, victory extends their unbeaten run to five games and keeps them in touching distance of the leaders. The away end never stopped, and their supporters had plenty to celebrate.