Inter Zapresic

Ground: Stadion SRC Zapresic

Visits: 1

Date: 23rd July 2016

Match: Inter Zapresic - Osijek 0-2 (1. HNL)

Attendance: 371

In 2022 Inter Zapresic went bankrupt and the club was dissolved

My last game on this trip was to be the biggest game in Croatian football, Hajduk Split v Dinamo Zagreb at Stadion Poljud on Sunday evening. Since UEFA decided Dinamo had to play their 3rd round CL-qualifier on Tuesday (instead of Wednesday) evening the Croatian FA moved the game to 10 August. A huge disappointment but not the end of the world. This meant Inter Zapresic v Osijek on Saturday evening was to be my fourth and final game. Zapresic is situated outside Zagreb and at 11am I was supposed to catch a bus from Rijeka bus station. No bus showed up though and no information was available. I was of course not the only one waiting for this bus and people were more and more puzzled. At 11.35 the 11.30 bus arrived (you can imagine the scenes) but I had to wait until 11.45 for my bus to arrive. Shortly before noon we could then finally leave Rijeka and once on the motorway I could understand why the bus (which started in Baska) was late. Heavy traffic and long queues to pay toll. When we approached Zagreb the queue was 10 km but we eventually arrived in Zagreb. I was not in a hurry but there are better things to do than sitting in a bus. This time around I had booked a really nice hotel in the city centre and for once it felt good to stay in a 4-star hotel.

After the game I had to catch the last bus from Zapresic and then change to a tram in Crnomerec. I would also be back at my hotel around 00.15 and I decided to book a taxi instead. The taxi driver, who didn´t speak English or German, showed up shortly after 7pm and the drive to Stadion SRC Zapresic was a quick one. He seemed to think I was looking for a F1-driver for next year and at times I was almost a bit scared. Once at the ground I used a local to translate I wanted to be picked up after the game. My understanding was I should call the taxi central at 22.30 and they would then send a driver. I had a look around before buying a ticket and entering the ground. Stadion SRC Zapresic was built in 1987 and has a big seated stand in the east side. In the west side there are a few blocks of concrete but with the club not attracting more than a few hundred for a normal league game the seated stand is more than enough for the club. Kick-off was at 21.00 but it was still very warm and I needed something to drink but couldn´t find where to buy drinks. I asked a steward a he told me to leave the ground. Yes, leave the ground. To buy drinks you have to scan your ticket at an exit turnstile, buy what you need and then re-enter the ground by once again scanning your ticket. Interesting solution!

The actual match was not the best one. Not many chances and 0-0 at half-time. Osijek brought around 50 fans to Zapresic this evening and in the 49th minute they could celebrate, 0-1 after a good move. Inter Zapresic tried their best to find an equalizer but to be honest they didn´t create many chances. Instead it was Osijek who would score again to win 2-0. At 22.30 I had called the taxi central and they promised to send a driver. Outside the ground the future F1-driver was waiting for me and we set off for central Zagreb. After a few minutes the taxi central called me to inform me a driver was on his way to pick me up. I gave my phone to my driver who explained and I was told everything was ok. At 23.20 I was back at my hotel.

From Zagreb it takes around 5 hours by bus to get to Split and shortly after 2pm on Sunday afternoon I was in Split. Nowadays there is a motorway but the last 30 minutes we drove along the coast. The approach to Trogir was stunning and this part of Croatia was a beautiful as I remember it being. I did a few hours of sightseeing in Split and the advantage (?) of having my game at Stadion Poljud cancelled is I now have a good reason to come back to Croatia next summer, maybe in combination with games in Bosnia.

stadion src zapresic, outside2