Međimurec Pretetinec Surges Past Polet, Climbs Table in Dramatic Home Win
At Igralište NK Hraščica on Sunday, the crisp air of mid-October crackled with the urgency of two clubs locked in a delicate dance near the midpoint of the Third NL - Sjever table. Both Međimurec Pretetinec and Polet entered the day knotted on 14 points, their seasons mirroring one another—each with four wins, two draws, and two defeats. As dusk settled, it was Međimurec Pretetinec who would claim the narrative, their 2-1 victory tilting the balance and injecting new energy into a campaign that grows tighter by the week.
For Međimurec Pretetinec, the path to this moment has been one of recent ascension. Quietly, they have caught fire: three wins in their last four, punctuated by road triumphs at Nedelišće and Slatina by identical 2-1 scores, and a sparkling 3-0 dismantling of Dinamo Domašinec before that. The only blemish, a stumble at Daruvar, was quickly relegated to memory. This momentum was evident from the moment the hosts strode onto the home pitch—alert, ambitious, and eager to seize an opportunity to leapfrog a direct rival.
The opening half unfolded with a sense of foreboding tension. Each side probed for weaknesses while remaining fiercely disciplined at the back. Polet, drawing confidence from their own 2-0 dispatching of Slatina last week and a reputation for dogged resilience—unbeaten in 11 of their last 13 league matches—presented a familiar, organized challenge. Yet, Međimurec’s recent verve soon told. In the 28th minute, a sweeping move down the right saw the ball whipped into the box, where Međimurec’s leading scorer pounced expertly. His finish—low, quick, and assured—sent the home crowd into delighted chorus and forced Polet to alter their game plan.
If the first goal reflected Međimurec’s confidence, the second—coming just before the interval—was a testament to their resolve. An incisive through-ball split Polet’s midfield, catching defenders flat-footed. The charging attacker met the pass in stride and, under pressure from the advancing goalkeeper, calmly slotted home. Two goals clear, Međimurec’s bench erupted, the shadows in the stands visibly lifting. The scoreline, at that moment, set the home side alone in sixth, a statement of intent as the league’s autumn grind intensifies.
Polet, though, would not go quietly. Their second-half response was immediate, the visiting side pushing numbers forward and carving out half-chances. In the 61st minute, their persistence bore fruit: a scrambled corner found their captain at the edge of the six-yard box. His rising effort blazed past the diving keeper, halving the deficit and renewing hope. For a brief, frenetic stretch, Polet pressed for parity, buoyed by memories of past duels with Međimurec Pretetinec—encounters that have never failed to produce drama.
Yet as the minutes waned, so too did Polet’s composure. A rash challenge in midfield drew the match’s only booking; the tension threatened to spill over, but the referee’s measured authority restored order. Međimurec, sharpened by recent close victories, managed the final exchanges with poise, their back line repelling Polet’s final surge before celebrating at the final whistle.
The aftermath leaves both teams locked on 14 points, but Međimurec Pretetinec now edges ahead by virtue of their head-to-head triumph—and, perhaps more importantly, by the unmistakable momentum of a side finding its stride. Four wins in five matches have propelled them from mid-table obscurity to the threshold of the league’s playoff conversation. For Polet, the result amounts to a stutter in a season of incremental gains. Their 11-of-13 unbeaten stretch now feels a touch more precarious, their cushion over the chasing pack a little less secure.
This fixture, always a litmus test for both clubs’ ambitions, delivered yet again—a match played on a knife’s edge, defined by moments of clinical execution and spells of anxious defending. As the teams departed into the fading light, Međimurec Pretetinec’s supporters applauded a team on the rise, while Polet faced the long ride home with a renewed sense of urgency.
In a league where the margins are slim and each Saturday’s results ripple through the standings, both sides know that the path ahead demands consistency and steel. For Međimurec Pretetinec, next week brings an opportunity to sustain this newfound momentum and perhaps lay claim to even higher ambitions. For Polet, the challenge is clear: regroup quickly, rediscover the formula that carried them through so many weeks of resilience, and return ready to battle once more.