Međimurec Pretetinec Climbs Table with Gritty Road Victory Over Nedelišće

The visiting side showed why they're making moves up the Third NL - Sjever standings Saturday afternoon, grinding out a 2-1 victory at Sportsko Rekreacijski Centar Trate that extended their unbeaten run to three matches and dropped Nedelišće deeper into the relegation conversation.

Međimurec Pretetinec entered the half leading 2-1, and what they lacked in style during the final 45 minutes, they made up for with substance, absorbing pressure from a desperate home side to claim all three points and leap to sixth place in the table with 11 points from seven matches.

For Nedelišće, languishing in 12th with just seven points, the result continues a troubling pattern. The hosts have now won just twice all season, and their inability to convert home fixtures into points has become increasingly concerning. When you're collecting draws away from home—as they did last week at Medjimurje Cakovec—but can't capitalize on familiar surroundings, the mathematics of staying in the division become unforgiving.

The match unfolded with an intensity befitting two clubs heading in opposite directions. Međimurec Pretetinec, buoyed by consecutive victories over Slatina and Dinamo Domašinec, showed the confidence of a side that's figured something out. Their recent 2-1 triumph at Slatina displayed similar characteristics: build a lead, then defend it with organized discipline.

Nedelišće fought desperately after the break, pushing numbers forward in search of an equalizer that would at minimum salvage a point. The hosts created chances, forced saves, and put the visiting defense under sustained pressure. But championship-caliber teams—or at least those with such aspirations—know how to see out results when they're not playing their best football. Međimurec Pretetinec demonstrated that quality Saturday.

The narrative arc of these two clubs heading into the match couldn't have been more divergent. While Međimurec Pretetinec arrived with eight points from their previous four fixtures—including that impressive three-goal performance against Dinamo Domašinec—Nedelišće's form reads like a cautionary tale. Two wins, one draw, four losses. The numbers tell the story of a club struggling to find its identity in this division.

What made Saturday's defeat particularly deflating for Nedelišće was that they showed signs of life. Scoring against a side that's been defensively organized during their recent run isn't easy, and the home crowd surely believed the momentum could shift. But believing and executing are different propositions, especially when facing opponents who've mastered the art of closing out tight matches.

The league table doesn't lie at this stage of the season. With seven matches played, patterns have emerged and pretenders have been exposed. Međimurec Pretetinec sits comfortably in mid-table with 11 points, just two points off their current standing of sixth place but positioned to make a run at the upper echelon if they maintain this form. Their record of three wins, two draws, and two losses suggests a competitive squad capable of taking points from anyone on a given day.

Nedelišće faces a different reality. Twelve points separate them from the leaders, but more immediately concerning, they're running out of matches to build separation from the bottom. Seven points through seven matches—a win rate of just 28.6 percent—puts serious pressure on every remaining fixture. The hosts needed this match, and they knew it. The fact that they couldn't deliver at home makes the situation more precarious.

Looking ahead, Međimurec Pretetinec will aim to extend their unbeaten streak while eyeing a climb toward the top half of the table. Three consecutive matches without a loss have transformed their season from promising to genuinely competitive. The challenge now becomes sustaining this standard week after week.

For Nedelišće, the margin for error has evaporated. Every dropped point at home feels increasingly costly, and Saturday's defeat will sting precisely because they showed enough to suggest they could have gotten something from the match. In football's cruel calculus, though, showing promise doesn't earn points. Finishing chances does, and Međimurec Pretetinec proved more clinical when it mattered most.