2001–02 Croatian First Football League
The 2001–02 Croatian First Football League was the eleventh season of the Croatian First Football League since its establishment in 1992. NK Zagreb became champions for the first time, and were the first and until 2017 only league winners from outside the Eternal Derby rivalry. The campaign began on 28 July 2001 and ended on 4 May 2002. The league expanded to 16 teams (from 12 in the previous season), and was contested by all the 12 teams who competed in the previous season plus four newly promoted ones from Croatian Second Football League.
| Season | 2001–02 |
|---|---|
| Champions | NK Zagreb 1st Croatian title |
| Relegated |
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| Champions League | NK Zagreb |
| UEFA Cup |
|
| Intertoto Cup |
|
| Matches played | 240 |
| Goals scored | 680 (2.83 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Ivica Olić (21) |
| Biggest home win |
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| Biggest away win | Osijek 1–6 Dinamo Z. |
| Highest scoring |
|
| Average attendance | 2,400 |
← 2000–01 2002–03 → | |
The first goal of the season was scored by Dinamo Zagreb's Dario Zahora against newly promoted TŠK Topolovac in the 13th minute of the game on the opening day of the season on 28 July. Miljenko Mumlek of Varteks scored the first hat-trick of the season against Hajduk Split, two of them from penalty kicks, at Poljud on 17 August 2001.
NK Zagreb clinched their first ever title after they drew 0–0 against Čakovec and their last competitor for the title Hajduk Split lost 1–0 to Hrvatski Dragovoljac in the penultimate 29th round of the season which took place on 27 April 2002. It was the third Croatian First Football League title for NK Zagreb manager Zlatko Kranjčar, who thus became the first manager to have won the Prva HNL in charge of two different clubs (in 1996 and 1998 he clinched two championship titles with Croatia Zagreb, renamed Dinamo Zagreb in 2000). The top goalscorer of the season was Ivica Olić with 21 goals scored in 29 appearances for NK Zagreb.