With the goal he scored in the 102nd minute in the big derby against Hajduk Split, Arbër Hoxha only confirmed the high form he is experiencing at Dinamo Zagreb.
Thanks to Hoxha's goal, Dinamo drew 1:1 at "Maksimir" with their biggest rival, Hajduk, on Saturday in the derby of the 16th round of the Croatian football elite. Dinamo is in first place in the table with 32 points, one more than Hajduk. And this is considered a great merit of the Albanian representative.
In the Croatian media, the writings about Hoxha are in superlatives. The 27-year-old has exploded in the fall. On November 22, he scored two goals in a 3:1 victory over Varaždin. On November 1, he scored for a 2:1 victory in the next derby against Rijeka. On September 28, he scored and assisted in a 4:1 victory over Slaven Belupo, while on September 20, he had a goal in Dinamo's 2:0 victory over Hajduk, in Split.
In 15 championship appearances he has six goals, each more important than the next, and two assists.
"Arbër Hoxha has once again shown that he is Dinamo's best player this fall. It is unbelievable how he has exploded this season," he wrote to the Croatian media outlet "Germanijak".
"For the sixth time this year, Hoxha brings points to Dinamo. When everyone looks tired and spent, he still continues at full speed. As far as he is concerned, he can play 120 minutes," this medium further wrote.
For Dinamo coach Mario Kovacevic, Hoxha's performances are not accidental. He appreciates the Kosovar's work.
"Arbëri is working well and I think we were all on level. He was rewarded with a goal and I'm glad. He's working well and everything is coming back to him," said Kovacevic.
After the big derby, Hoxha also spoke.
The winger said he was happy with the goal, but not with the equalizer.
"Two weeks ago we were in second place, now we are in first. And that is good. We are playing in Europe now and we are a little tired. We don't need motivation for Europe. We are playing with Betis and I think we have a lot of quality," said Hoxha.
After the derby, there were many reactions regarding the refereeing and extra time. There were assessments that Dinamo was harmed by the referees. Despite the developments, Hoxha once again proved that he is the carrier of Dinamo in this edition.