 Despite being exposed to severe verbal abuse by the nationalist supporters of Rijeka, Žilić immediately established himself as the first-choice goalkeeper and gradually earned the support of fans with his consistent performances.He eventually helped them win the 2005–06 Croatian Cup.On 29 November 2006, Žilić scored a 92nd-minute header against Konavljanin that got Rijeka into the 2006–07 Croatian Cup semi-finals.