1998–99 NK Croatia Zagreb season

During the 1998–99 Croatian football season, Croatia Zagreb competed in the Prva HNL.

Croatia Zagreb

1998–99 season
President	Zlatko Canjuga
Manager	Zlatko Kranjčar (until 24 October) Velimir Zajec (25 October to 21 April) Ilija Lončarević (from 22 April)
Stadium	Stadion Maksimir
1. HNL	1st (5th title)
Croatian Cup	First round
Champions League	Group stage
Top goalscorer	Edin Mujčin (10)
← 1997–98 1999–2000 →

Season summary

Croatia Zagreb made their debut in the Champions League group stage, drawn against Olympiakos, Porto and Ajax. Zagreb failed to win any of their first three group games, resulting in the departure of manager Zlatko Kranjčar. His replacement, Velimir Zajec, inspired a turnaround and wins against Porto and Ajax gave the club hope of reaching the quarter-finals. A home draw with Olympiakos in the final group stage match saw Croatia Zagreb finish second in their group, but as they were the lowest-ranked of all the group stage runners-up they did not progress.

In the first round of the Croatian Football Cup the club was sensationally knocked out by fourth-level amateur side NK Dugo Selo 3–2.

In the league, Croatia was unbeaten in the first 11 matches of the season. Their first defeat came in November against Rijeka. They ended the first stage of the championship in March on top of the table, with a single point ahead of Rijeka, and 11 points ahead of their biggest rivals Hajduk Split in third place.

In the championship playoff, played as a round-robin mini-league involving top six teams from the first stage, Croatia finished on top, winning their fifth Croatian title since the country's independence, and ninth national title overall.

First-team squad

Squad at end of season^[1]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 12 GK  CRO Tomislav Butina 1 GK  CRO Dražen Ladić 30 GK  CRO Ivan Turina 23 GK  CRO Vladimir Vasilj 17 DF  CRO Mario Cvitanović 5 DF  CRO Goran Jurić 3 DF  CRO Damir Krznar 11 DF  CRO Tomislav Rukavina 15 DF  CRO Daniel Šarić 6 DF  CRO Danijel Štefulj 2 DF  CRO Mario Tokić 20 DF  CRO Stjepan Tomas 4 DF  MKD Goce Sedloski 19 MF  CRO Mario Bazina

No. Pos. Nation Player 22 MF  CRO Igor Bišćan 21 MF  CRO Joško Jeličić 24 MF  CRO Krunoslav Jurčić 14 MF  CRO Mihael Mikić 8 MF  CRO Robert Prosinečki 10 MF  BIH Edin Mujčin 7 MF  BIH Nermin Šabić 28 FW  CRO Domagoj Abramović 26 FW  CRO Ardian Kozniku 16 FW  CRO Josip Šimić 25 FW  CRO Tomo Šokota 9 FW  LTU Gražvydas Mikulėnas 13 FW  JPN Kazuyoshi Miura

Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 4 MF  CRO Silvio Marić (to Newcastle United) 9 FW  AUS Mark Viduka (to Celtic) 13 DF  CRO Dario Šimić (to Inter)

Competitions

1. HNL

Main article: 1998–99 Croatian First Football League

First stage (Rounds 1–22)

Croatia Zagreb v Šibenik

7 August 1998 1	Croatia Zagreb	4–1	Šibenik	Zagreb
	Marić 11', 53' Jeličić 36' D. Šimić 45'		Popović 62'	Stadium: Maksimir

Zadarkomerc v Croatia Zagreb

16 August 1998 2	Zadarkomerc	1–1	Croatia Zagreb	Zadar
	Zupan 67'		Jurčić 62'	Stadium: Stanovi

Croatia Zagreb v Osijek

20 August 1998 3	Croatia Zagreb	4–2	Osijek	Zagreb
	Jeličić 45', 71' D. Šimić 47' Šokota 62'		Perković 38' Tadić 75'	Stadium: Maksimir

Croatia Zagreb v Hrvatski Dragovoljac

30 August 1998 4	Croatia Zagreb	2–1	Hrvatski Dragovoljac	Zagreb
	Marić 53' Šokota 73'		Bošnjak 16'	Stadium: Maksimir

Mladost 127 v Croatia Zagreb

11 September 1998 5	Mladost 127	0–4	Croatia Zagreb	Suhopolje
			Mujčin 15', 18' Viduka 60' Mikić 85'	Stadium: Park

Croatia Zagreb v Cibalia

20 September 1998 6	Croatia Zagreb	2–1	Cibalia	Zagreb
	Mujčin 20' (pen.) Šarić 42'		Jurčec 57'	Stadium: Maksimir

Slaven Belupo v Croatia Zagreb

25 September 1998 7	Slaven Belupo	0–1	Croatia Zagreb	Koprivnica
			Marić 39'	Stadium: Gradski stadion

Croatia Zagreb v Varteks

4 October 1998 8	Croatia Zagreb	2–0	Varteks	Zagreb
	Šokota 35' Krznar 61'			Stadium: Maksimir

Croatia Zagreb v NK Zagreb

25 October 1998 10	Croatia Zagreb	4–0	NK Zagreb	Zagreb
	Mujčin 2' (pen.), 9', 59' (pen.) Marić 86'			Stadium: Maksimir

Hajduk Split v Croatia Zagreb

1 November 1998 11	Hajduk Split	1–1	Croatia Zagreb	Split
	Leko 49'		Viduka 9'	Stadium: Poljud

Šibenik v Croatia Zagreb

7 November 1998 12	Šibenik	1–2	Croatia Zagreb	Šibenik
	Bulat 72'		Viduka 65' (75)	Stadium: Šubićevac

Rijeka v Croatia Zagreb

11 November 1998 9	Rijeka	1–0	Croatia Zagreb	Rijeka
	Ivančić ?'			Stadium: Kantrida

Croatia Zagreb v Zadarkomerc

14 November 1998 13	Croatia Zagreb	4–0	Zadarkomerc	Zagreb
	Mujčin 20', 49' Mikić 39' Jeličić 58'			Stadium: Maksimir

Osijek v Croatia Zagreb

21 November 1998 14	Osijek	0–1	Croatia Zagreb	Osijek
			Jeličić 61'	Stadium: Gradski Vrt

Hrvatski Dragovoljac v Croatia Zagreb

29 November 1998 15	Hrvatski Dragovoljac	1–0	Croatia Zagreb	Zagreb
				Stadium: Siget

Cibalia v Croatia Zagreb

14 December 1998 17	Cibalia	0–1	Croatia Zagreb	Vinkovci
			Kozniku ?'	Stadium: Stadion HNK Cibalia

Croatia Zagreb v Mladost 127

17 February 1999 16	Croatia Zagreb	3–0	Mladost 127	Zagreb
	Jeličić ?' Mikulėnas ?' Mikić ?'			Stadium: Maksimir

Croatia Zagreb v Slaven Belupo

21 February 1999 18	Croatia Zagreb	2–1	Slaven Belupo	Zagreb
	Mikulėnas ?' Jurčić ?'		Drvosek ?'	Stadium: Maksimir

Varteks v Croatia Zagreb

26 February 1999 19	Varteks	2–0	Croatia Zagreb	Varaždin
	Posavec ?' Karić ?'			Stadium: Stadion Varteks

Croatia Zagreb v Rijeka

7 March 1999 20	Croatia Zagreb	3–0	Rijeka	Zagreb
	Mujčin 4' Bišćan 22' Prosinečki 62' (pen.)			Stadium: Maksimir

NK Zagreb v Croatia Zagreb

14 March 1999 21	NK Zagreb	1–2	Croatia Zagreb	Zagreb
	Kosić 90'		Prosinečki 18' Mikulėnas 72'	Stadium: Kranjčevićeva

Croatia Zagreb v Hajduk Split

21 March 1999 22	Croatia Zagreb	1–0	Hajduk Split	Zagreb
	M. Cvitanović 76'			Stadium: Maksimir

Standings

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Croatia Zagreb	22	17	2	3	44	14	+30	53	Qualification to championship group
2	Rijeka	22	17	1	4	35	18	+17	52
3	Hajduk Split	22	12	6	4	38	17	+21	42
4	Osijek	22	11	3	8	37	23	+14	36
5	Varteks	22	9	3	10	40	36	+4	30

Source: RSSSF.org
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd head-to-head points; 3rd head-to-head goal difference; 4th head-to-head away goals scored

Championship playoff (Rounds 23–32)

Croatia Zagreb v Hrvatski Dragovoljac

18 April 1999 1	Croatia Zagreb	1–0	Hrvatski Dragovoljac	Zagreb
	Mujčin 41'			Stadium: Maksimir

Croatia Zagreb v Rijeka

21 April 1999 2	Croatia Zagreb	0–1	Rijeka	Zagreb
			Balaban 14'	Stadium: Maksimir

Hajduk Split v Croatia Zagreb

25 April 1999 3	Hajduk Split	1–0	Croatia Zagreb	Split
	Erceg 66'			Stadium: Poljud

Croatia Zagreb v Osijek

2 May 1999 4	Croatia Zagreb	1–1	Osijek	Zagreb
	Prosinečki 74' (pen.)		Vuica 4'	Stadium: Maksimir

Varteks v Croatia Zagreb

9 May 1999 5	Varteks	1–2	Croatia Zagreb	Varaždin
	Kamberović 4'		Mikić 2' Jurčić 74'	Stadium: Stadion Varteks

Hrvatski Dragovoljac v Croatia Zagreb

12 May 1999 6	Hrvatski Dragovoljac	1–1	Croatia Zagreb	Slavonski Brod
	Jazić 29'		Prosinečki 60' (pen.)	Stadium: Vlainić-Dida

Rijeka v Croatia Zagreb

16 May 1999 7	Rijeka	0–2	Croatia Zagreb	Rijeka
			Bišćan 5' Šokota 84'	Stadium: Kantrida

Croatia Zagreb v Hajduk Split

19 May 1999 8	Croatia Zagreb	1–1	Hajduk Split	Zagreb
	J. Šimić 26'		Vuković 56'	Stadium: Maksimir

Osijek v Croatia Zagreb

23 May 1999 9	Osijek	0–1	Croatia Zagreb	Osijek
			Kozniku 84'	Stadium: Gradski Vrt

Croatia Zagreb v Varteks

26 May 1999 10	Croatia Zagreb	2–0	Varteks	Zagreb
	J. Šimić 20' Kozniku 79'			Stadium: Maksimir

Standings

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Croatia Zagreb (C)	10	5	3	2	11	6	+5	45	Qualification to Champions League third qualifying round
2	Rijeka	10	5	3	2	18	15	+3	44	Qualification to Champions League second qualifying round
3	Hajduk Split	10	5	3	2	24	15	+9	39	Qualification to UEFA Cup qualifying round
4	Osijek	10	3	3	4	14	16	−2	30	Qualification to UEFA Cup first round
5	Hrvatski Dragovoljac	10	3	1	6	15	21	−6	23	Qualification to Intertoto Cup first round
6	Varteks	10	2	1	7	10	19	−9	22

Source: RSSSF.org
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd head-to-head points; 3rd head-to-head goal difference; 4th head-to-head away goals scored
(C) Champions

Croatian Cup

Main article: 1998–99 Croatian Football Cup

Dugo Selo (IV) v Croatia Zagreb

8 September 1998 Round of 32	Dugo Selo (IV)	3–2	Croatia Zagreb	Dugo Selo
	Benkoci 48' Rukavina 75' (o.g.) Car 88'		Viduka 17' Šokota 45'	Stadium: Gradski stadion Attendance: 2,000 Referee: Miro Martinović (Osijek)

UEFA Champions League

Main article: 1998–99 UEFA Champions League

Second qualifying round

Celtic v Croatia Zagreb

12 August 1998 1st leg	Celtic	1–0	Croatia Zagreb	Glasgow
20:45 CET (UTC+01:00)	Jackson 50'	Report		Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 51,335 Referee: José María García-Aranda

Dinamo Zagreb v Celtic

26 August 1998 2nd leg	Dinamo Zagreb	3–0 (3–1 agg.)	Celtic	Zagreb
20:30 CET (UTC+01:00)	Marić 22' Prosinečki 45' (pen.), 68'	Report		Stadium: Maksimir Attendance: 23,570 Referee: Pierluigi Collina

Group stage

Croatia Zagreb v Ajax

16 September 1998 Matchday 1	Croatia Zagreb	0–0	Ajax	Zagreb
20:45		Report		Stadium: Maksimir Attendance: 28,000 Referee: Kim Milton Nielsen

Olympiacos v Croatia Zagreb

30 September 1998 Matchday 2	Olympiacos	2–0	Croatia Zagreb	Athens
	Alexandris 21' Gogić 80'	Report		Stadium: Spiridon Louis Attendance: 60,502 Referee: David Elleray

Porto v Croatia Zagreb

21 October 1998 Matchday 3	Porto	3–0	Croatia Zagreb	Porto
	Doriva 33' Zahovič 42', 75'	Report		Stadium: Estádio das Antas Attendance: 16,500 Referee: Günter Benkö

Croatia Zagreb v Porto

4 November 1998 Matchday 4	Croatia Zagreb	3–1	Porto	Zagreb
	Mikić 7' Rukavina 37' Mujčin 61'	Report	Jardel 39'	Stadium: Maksimir Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Markus Merk

Ajax v Croatia Zagreb

25 November 1998 Matchday 5	Ajax	0–1	Croatia Zagreb	Amsterdam
		Report	J. Šimić 67'	Stadium: Amsterdam ArenA Attendance: 48,000 Referee: Marc Batta

Croatia Zagreb v Olympiacos

9 December 1998 Matchday 6	Croatia Zagreb	1–1	Olympiacos	Zagreb
	Jeličić 35'	Report	Giannakopoulos 64'	Stadium: Maksimir Attendance: 16,546 Referee: Rune Pedersen

Standings

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Olympiacos	6	3	2	1	8	6	+2	11	Advance to knockout stage
2	Croatia Zagreb	6	2	2	2	5	7	−2	8
3	Porto	6	2	1	3	11	9	+2	7
4	Ajax	6	2	1	3	4	6	−2	7

Source: UEFA