Rijeka football players concluded the 2024/25 season. Spectacularly, winning the double crown – after the title of Croatian champion, they defeated Slaven Belupo in Rujevica and lifted the SuperSport Croatian Football Cup winner’s trophy.
Cup Final: Rijeka – Slaven Belupo 1:0
First match (Koprivnica): Slaven Belupo – Rijeka 1:1
Scorers: Fruk (25′) for Rijeka, Bosec (69′) for Slaven Belupo.
Return (Rujevica): Rijeka – Slaven Belupo 1:0
Scorer: Nais Djouahra (60′), with a great shot under the crossbar.
Rijeka played with less than a player in the 87th minute due to the exclusion of Menal, but withstood the pressure of the visitors, including Crepulja’s shot into the goal post in stoppage time.
Key moments of the second leg
The first half was a tight and hard-fought game, with few chances on either side. In the continuation, Rijeka took the initiative, and in the 60th minute, Djouahra took the lead and, as it turned out, the victory, with a fantastic shot from 20 meters. In the end, Slaven Belupo attacked with more players, but they failed to equalize – the closest was Crepulja, whose shot ended up on the post.
Historical success and significance
With this victory, Rijeka won its seventh Croatian Cup trophy and won the double crown for the second time in history (after 2017) – the championship and the Cup in the same season.
Slaven Belupo played in the Cup final for the third time and, for the third time, was left without a trophy.
This success also brought changes in European competitions: Thanks to Rijeka, Dinamo secured direct placement in the group stage of the Europa League, and Varaždin will play in the qualification for the Conference League.
Teams and key players
Rijeka: Zlomislić, Oreč, Majstorović, Radeljić, Devetak, Selahi (Ilinković 89′), Djouahra (Menalo 76′), Petrović, Fruk (Bogojević 89′), Janković (Rukavina 90′), Čop (Gojak 76′).
Slaven Belupo: Sušak, Bosec (Dolček 66′), Kovačić, Božić, Jakir, Ćubelić, Agbekpornu (Crepulja 66′), Jagušić, Lepinjica, Grgić (Šuto 79′), Nestorovski.
Rijeka ended the season in the most beautiful way possible – with a double crown, confirming the status of the most successful Croatian club in 2024/25. This generation entered the history of the club and domestic football, and the celebration at Rujevica will be remembered as the highlight of one of the most exciting SuperSport HNL and Cup seasons.
