Istria 1961 were defeated 1-0 by Gorica at Drosin in the eighth round of the SuperSport HNL. The only goal was scored by Pranjić in the 84th minute with a shot from the edge of the penalty area following a combination by the guests on the left.
Gorica thus secured their first victory of the season, while Istria 1961 head into the three-week break with their third loss of the season. Following the break, the Puljani will travel to face Osijek and Lokomotiva, while at Drosin they will return to play against Hajduk after more than a month.
A minute's silence was observed at the start of the match in memory of Berislav Poldrugovac Mićula. The first half ended 0-0, with Šečić hitting the crossbar in the 30th minute. In the 52nd minute, the power went out at Drosin and the stadium was in darkness, with the match resuming after fifteen minutes.
Istria 1961's manager Javier Cabello could not count on Hamza Jaganjac, who had accumulated four yellow cards, nor on the injured Vinko Rožić. Gorica's manager Mario Čević brought on Pranjić and Cvijanović in the 62nd minute for Bogojević and Costa, while in the 60th minute, Albarracin and Ukich entered for Istria, replacing Škafar Žužić and Doumbia.
Ukich received a yellow card in the 67th minute for a tackle from behind, while in the 70th minute, Pavičić came on for Brodić in place for Gorica. In the 72nd minute, Kadušić replaced Hrvatin, with Kab replacing Maurić, while in the 83rd minute, Miettinen left and Nasraoui came on.
In the 89th minute, Cvijanić received a yellow card, while in the 90th minute, Vrzić and Tomić received yellow cards for fouling. Doumbia received a yellow card in the 45th minute. A total of 2,688 spectators attended the match.
