OSIJEK, Croatia (Interstat) — NK Rudes used a late goal from Cherno Saho to beat Osijek 1-0 at Opus Arena, spoiling the home side’s day and changing the early shape of both teams’ records in the competition. The visitors scored the only goal of the match in the closing stages, and Osijek could not answer before the final whistle. The result gave NK Rudes a second win of the season in the competition and left Osijek still searching for its first.

The decisive moment came in the 81st minute, when Saho scored for NK Rudes. Saho’s statline reflected a short but consequential appearance: 30 minutes played and one goal. Until that point, the game had been marked more by interruptions and changes than by scoring, with Osijek making the first adjustments and NK Rudes eventually following. The first half passed without a goal, and the match remained scoreless deep into the second half.

Osijek made a substitution involving D. Bukvic in the 24th minute and another involving N. Farkas in the 46th. NK Rudes made a triple change in the 60th minute, with S. El Haddad, J. Fernandes and V. Seitz each listed as substitutions. Osijek’s L. Tunjic followed in the 62nd minute. NK Rudes’ N. Skoko and Osijek’s A. Ljatifi were listed in the 78th minute, Osijek’s M. Heister followed in the 79th and NK Rudes’ B. Unusic entered the substitution sequence in the 85th minute.

Discipline shaped the match as well. NK Rudes received four yellow cards: S. El Haddad in the 27th minute, S. Bralic in the 57th, I. Djoric in the 75th and F. Taraba in the 87th. Osijek was not listed with a yellow card in the available match summary. The cards came at different stages, with El Haddad’s early caution preceding the first-half substitution changes and Taraba’s late card arriving after NK Rudes had taken the lead.

The result moved NK Rudes to 2 wins and 1 loss in the competition and to the same 2-1 mark across all competitions. Osijek fell to 0 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw in the competition and to 0 wins, 2 losses and 2 draws across all competitions. The home side remained without a win in the early portion of its schedule, while NK Rudes improved its position with a second victory.

NK Rudes’ recent form included a 2-1 loss at home to Rijeka and a 2-1 win at Gorica. Osijek had drawn 1-1 with Gorica at home, lost 3-1 at home to Istra 1961 and drawn 1-1 with Bijelo Brdo at home. Those results framed the matchup as one in which Osijek was seeking its first victory and NK Rudes was trying to build on a recent road win. The match at Opus Arena gave NK Rudes another road result to add to that run.

The game’s most important sequence arrived late. With the match scoreless into the closing stretch, NK Rudes found the breakthrough through Saho in the 81st minute. The goal forced Osijek to chase the game over the final minutes, while NK Rudes absorbed pressure and managed the remaining time. The visitors’ fourth yellow card, to Taraba in the 87th minute, underlined the tighter, more physical closing phase as NK Rudes protected the one-goal margin. Osijek’s late substitutions could not produce an equalizer before the finish. NK Rudes held on through the final whistle to secure the victory and the clean sheet.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a 2-1 NK Rudes victory, while Interstat’s ELO system had projected Osijek with an 87.6 percent probability to win. Osijek had been installed as the pregame favorite with a spread of -1.25. The over/under line was 3, with the game producing a total score of 1.