April 15. 2022 - The Europa League semi-finals will feature four Croatian footballers - Kristijan Jakić, Joško Gvardiol, Nikola Vlašić, and Borna Barišić. 

After the first match in Frankfurt ended 1-1, Eintracht surprised Barcelona by winning 3-2 at Camp Nou on Thursday, thus securing a spot in the Europa League semi-finals.

RB Leipzig, West Ham, and Glasgow Rangers also qualified among the four best teams.

Eintracht had the support of more than 25,000 fans at Camp Nou. Although Frankfurt was entitled to only 5,000 tickets, German fans procured tickets through all possible channels, so the atmosphere was as if the away side was playing in Frankfurt.

Barcelona was not off to a good start. In the third minute, Eric Garcia knocked down Jesper Lindstrom, and Portuguese referee Artur Soares Dias pointed to the penalty spot. Filip Kostić took the penalty for the lead. 

In the 10th minute, Barcelona failed to equalize with chances for both Pedri and Aubameyang. Barcelona put pressure but was unable to break Eintracht's defense. Eintracht, on the other hand, was full of confidence. Kostić found Rafael Borre in the 36th minute, who shot from more than 25 meters for 0-2. 

Barcelona could have reduced the lead in the second minute of the second half, but Aubameyang missed the goal. Eintracht had a great chance in the 58th minute, but Marc-Andre ter Stegen reacted great in goal. However, Ter Stegen couldn't do anything in the 67th minute when Kostić scored for an incredible 0-3 lead.

Barcelona scored from the offside position in the 84th minute, which did not count. Busquets, however, still reduced the score with a great goal from the edge of the penalty area in the 1st minute of stoppage time. Barcelona scored another goal in the 11th minute of stoppage time. Depay was certain from the penalty spot, but there was no time for more than that. Kristijan Jakić was excellent for Eintracht.

Eintracht will play against West Ham in the semifinals, which outclassed Lyon 3-0 after the London match ended 1-1.

Lyon was off to a great start, with chances in the 6th and 27th minutes. West Ham took the lead in the 38th minute. Pablo Fornals neatly controlled the ball after a short corner and knocked it on to Craig Dawson for the 0-1 lead. In the last moments of the first half, Declan Rice scored from the edge of the penalty area for 0-2. All doubts about the winner were resolved in the 48th minute when Jarrod Bowen scored for 0-3. Nikola Vlašić did not play for West Ham. 

RB Leipzig also reached the semi-finals after beating Atalanta 2-0 in Bergamo. The first game ended 1-1. 

Two years ago, RB Leipzig reached the semifinals of the Champions League, where they lost to PSG, and now they have reached the semifinals of the Europa League. Leipzig will play against Borna Barišić and the Rangers in the semifinals, who beat Braga 3-1. In the first match, the Portuguese club won 1-0 in front of their fans.

The match's hero was double scorer Christopher Nkunku (18, 87-penalty). Croatia national team player Joško Gvardiol played for the guests until the 79th minute, while Mario Pašalić played for Atalanta from the 88th minute.

With this victory, Leipzig extended their undefeated streak to 13 matches in all competitions, while Atalanta recorded four games without a win.

Source: Gol.hr

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February 25, 2022 - After being eliminated to Sevilla in the playoffs, the Dinamo Europa League earnings have been revealed. 

Dinamo was knocked out of the Europa League on Thursday night. Although they beat Sevilla 1-0 at Maksimir, they failed to make up for the two-goal deficit from the first Europa League play-off match. Recall, Sevilla won 3-1 in the first leg last week and went on to the next round with a 3-2 aggregate. 

Despite the relegation, Dinamo has reason to be pleased, which is the state of the club's coffers. Thanks to good performances in the Europa League, the Zagreb team earned a hefty amount that will give them a significant boost in the fight for the First HNL and Europe next season, reports Gol.hr.

By losing to the Sheriff in the Champions League play-offs, Dinamo earned 5 million euros. In comparison, they made a slightly smaller amount for placing in the Europa League group stage - around 3.6 million euros.

For every point won in the Europa League group stage, Dinamo earned several hundred thousand euros. Specifically, the Croatian champion won ten points as the second-placed team in the group and thus earned 2.1 million euros. That is 210,000 euros per point.

By securing a place in the second round of the Europa League, UEFA rewarded Dinamo with another million euros.

But that's not the end.

Thanks to the excellent coefficient in European competitions, Dinamo earned an additional 3.7 million euros.

When everything is added up, Dinamo has earned close to 15 million euros, or 14.6 million euros this season in Europe. This considerable amount will surely grow even more when the money from television rights enters Dinamo's account.

Dinamo will now fully dedicate themselves to the fight for the First HNL title. The first exam awaits them this weekend in the 25th round of the First HNL against Osijek at City Garden Stadium. 

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February 24, 2022 - Dinamo drops out of Europa League, and Sevilla moves forward with a 3:2 aggregate after the second leg was played at Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb. 

Dinamo Zagreb did not manage to secure a spot in the Europa League round of 16. After the return match of the Europa League playoffs on Thursday, Dinamo defeated the six-time winner of this competition - Sevilla 1-0 (0-0). However, as Sevilla won 3-1 in the first leg last week, they went on to the next round with a 3-2 aggregate. 

The match's only goal was scored by Mislav Oršić in the 65th minute from a penalty after Acuna played with his hand in the 16th minute.

The first half was overall unexciting. Dinamo opened it briskly and energetically, but Sevilla successfully repelled all attacks. Mišić had an attempt in the 20th minute from twenty meters though it missed the goal. 

In the middle of the first half, Sevilla took possession and control of the match, but in the 34th minute, Dinamo created a solid opportunity. After a great breakthrough, Tolić found Gojak, who fell in a duel with Diego Carlos. Unfortunately, the ref did not point to the penalty spot as expected. Sevilla sent several shots towards the Dinamo goal by the end of the half, none of which were dangerous.

Sevilla opened the second half much better and had two good situations in front of Dinamo's goal, first in the 48th and then in the 51st minute. However, Livaković managed to defend both times. After that, Kopić made four changes - he introduced Bulat, Bočkaj, Špikić and Emreli, and took out Tolić, Štefulj, Ristovski and Petković.

Bulat was responsible for Dinamo's lead in the 65th minute. Sevilla's left-back Acuna played with his hand in a duel with the Šibenik player, and the referee immediately awarded a penalty. Mislav Oršić scored for 1-0. 

Dinamo was even more motivated after scoring the goal. After 75 minutes, Bočkaj got through on the left and was close to equalizing but couldn't get the shot off. A minute later, Menalo shot after Špikić's cross, but Sevilla's goalkeeper was ready again.

By the end of the match, numerous attacks by Dinamo followed. Oršić had a superb strike in the 89th minute after a long ball through the middle, but it went out for a corner. Delaney earned his second yellow card in the first minute of extra time, forcing Sevilla to play with a man down for the last three minutes. Dinamo tried to attack after two interceptions, but Sevilla defended and has advanced to the round of 16.

Source: Index.hr

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February 17, 2022 - Captian Ivan Rakitić and Sevilla top Dinamo 3:1 in the first leg of the Europa League playoff on Thursday in Spain. 

In the first match of the Europa League playoff, Dinamo Zagreb lost to Sevilla 1:3 at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium. The return match is on February 24 at Maksimir Stadium.

As a reminder, eight winners of the Europa League groups won a direct place in the round of 16, while eight second-placed teams, including Dinamo, entered the play-off round against the eight third-placed teams from the Champions League.

Dinamo was second in Group H behind West Ham, while Sevilla was third in Group G of the Champions League behind Lille and RB Salzburg. The better of this pair will win a place in the Europa League round of 16.

Sevilla took the lead in the 13th minute with a penalty scored by former Croatia player Ivan Rakitic. Mislav Oršić equalized in the 41st minute, though the host turned the score around with two goals by the end of the first half. Lucas Ocampos scored in the 44th for 2:1, and two minutes later, Anthony Martial scored for 3:1.

Dinamo welcomed the visit to Sevilla with a series of seven consecutive victories, while Sevilla celebrated only once in the last five matches before Dinamo. However, Sevilla had lost only once in 15 home games - to Lille in the Champions League.

Željko Kopić could not count on Josip Mišić due to yellow cards, while Dino Perić and Emir Dilaver suffered injuries. Unfortunately, Luka Ivanušec dropped out last minute due to an adductor problem.

Captain Ivan Rakitic led Sevilla on Thursday night.

"It was strange to see Livaković in goal," said Rakitic with a smile after the match. 

"We are happy and proud; we achieved a victory against the fantastic Dinamo. It was not easy; we played an interesting game and deservedly won," Rakitic added.

"It was important that we reacted quickly after Oršić's goal. Then, in the second half, we controlled the result. This is a good result, but open. We know how important Europe is; you must always be at the highest level," concluded the Croatia midfielder.

Source: HRT

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December 9, 2021 - Dinamo beats West Ham 1:0 in London in the last round of Group H, thus securing second place of the group and the Europa League playoff round in the spring. 

Mislav Oršić secured the victory for the Blues with a fantastic goal in the 4th minute. The Croatian champion had many more opportunities to increase the score against West Ham, which played with a rather mixed squad, and only two permanent and two other occasional first-team players, among them former Hajduk Split star Nikola Vlašić.

Rapid's away victory against Genk (0:1) also helped Dinamo, but this result would only matter if Dinamo drew or lost. 

Dinamo secured either the Europa League or Conference League even before the match against West Ham. West Ham had secured first place before the match against Dinamo, and the Blues needed at least one point in London or for Genk to lose at home to confirm second place. 

The Europa League playoff matches are on February 17 next year, and the return matches are played seven days later.

In the end, West Ham won the group with 13 points, Dinamo is second with 10, Rapid is third with six and goes and will play in the Conference League in the spring, while Genk is at the back with five points.

West Ham as the winner of the group goes directly to the round of 16, Dinamo will play in the Europa League playoffs against one of the third-placed clubs in the Champions League, while Rapid moves to the Conference League playoffs. 

The Europa League playoff draw is on December 13 in Nyon at 1 pm. The Zagreb club could face RB Leipzig, Porto, Borussia Dortmund, Sheriff, Barcelona, ​​Atalanta, Sevilla and Zenit St. Petersburg.

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November 4, 2021 - Dinamo beats Rapid 3:1 at Maksimir stadium in Zagreb in the 4th round of the Europa League Group H. 

Dinamo and Rapid Wien met in the 4th round of the Europa League Group H on Thursday at Maksimir stadium in Zagreb. In front of 7,800 spectators, Dinamo defeated Rapid 3:1, returning to second place in the standings.

With this victory, Dinamo retaliated against the Austrian team after losing in Vienna (2:1) in the last round and made an important step towards winning one of the first two spots in the group.

Rapid took the lead in the eighth minute with a goal by Christoph Knasmullner, but the Blues turned the score around by the end of the half with goals by Bruno Petković (13') and Komnen Andrić (34'). Finally, Josip Šutalo confirmed Dinamo's victory in the 83rd minute.

Dinamo opened the group stage competition with a defeat to West Ham (0:2), after which they defeated Genk away 3:0, followed by a defeat in Vienna to Rapid. On the other hand, Rapid recorded two initial losses (Genk 0:1, West Ham 0:2) and was better than the Croatian champion in the last round.

Recap

Rapid took the lead in the eighth minute of the match with a goal by Christoph Knasmullner, though their celebration was short-lived. Only five minutes later, Petković equalized. Dinamo turned the score around in the 34th minute. Petković masterfully found Bartol Franjić, who immediately played in the penalty area, and Andrić received the ball to score for 2:1. Moments after Andrić's goal, the Bad Blue Boys celebrated their 35th birthday with an impressive banner. Dinamo confirmed the victory in the 83rd minute when Šutalo scored with his head for 3:1. 

West Ham leads the group with 10 points, Dinamo has six points, Genk 4, and Rapid 3 points.

On November 25, Dinamo - Genk, and Rapid - West Ham will meet in the next round, and the group stage competition ends on December 9, when West Ham - Dinamo and Genk - Rapid are scheduled.

The group winners go directly to the round of 16, while the runners-up will play for the quarterfinals against eight runners-up from the Champions League. The third from each Europa League group continue the season in the Conference League, where they will play the playoffs for the round of 16 against others from the Conference League groups.

Source: HRT

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October 21, 2021 - Rapid Wien tops Dinamo 2:1 in Vienna on Thursday in the 3rd round of Europa League's Group H. 

In the 3rd round match of the Europa League's Group H, Dinamo lost to Rapid Wien in front of 22,300 spectators in Vienna, recording their second defeat in the group.

After opening the competition in the group stage by losing at home to West Ham (0:2), and then recording a convincing victory against Genk (3:0) in the second round, Dinamo was again disappointed on the road in Vienna, recording a defeat that threatened their fight for one of first two spots in the group.

This loss has certainly complicated Dinamo's Europa League future, and Rapid is back in the game for a European spring after two defeats. Marco Grull (9') and Maxmillian Hofmann (34') scored in Rapid's first victory, while Mislav Oršić (24') scored for Dinamo.

Dinamo coach Damir Krznar was missing captain Arijan Ademi, Duje Čop, and Deni Jurić due to injuries tonight. Andrić was expected to play from the first minute, but coach Krznar surprised with a few moves. Luka Menalo and Amer Gojak, who have not had much time this season, got the opportunity from the first minute, while Petković was at the top of the attack.

Interestingly, the match between Rapid and Dinamo was reffed by Ukrainian Katerina Monzul (40), who was named the best referee of the elite class of Ukrainian football last year. It was her second group stage match in her career, after leading Slovan Liberec and Gent last season. 

In the second match of Group H, West Ham plays against Genk tonight in London.

West Ham leads the table with six points, Dinamo and Genk have three points each, while at the bottom is Rapid, which has lost both games.

In the fourth round, which is scheduled for November 4, the same rivals will play. This time, Dinamo will host Rapid at Maksimir, while Genk will host West Ham at Luminus Arena.

Recall, the winner from each of the eight groups will go directly to the round of 16, while the second-placed club will play for the round of 16 with the third-placed teams from the Champions League groups. Third-placed clubs from the Europa League will be included in the knockout phase of the Conference League.

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September 30, 2021 - Dinamo tops Genk away in Belgium in the second round of the Europa League Group H. 

Dinamo played the second round of the Europa League Group H against Genk in Belgium. Dinamo won 3:0 with goals from Ivanušec (10') and Petković (45 + 3' - 11m, 67 '- 11m).

Dinamo recorded their first victory in this season's Europa League. The Croatian champion played away against Genk in the 2nd round of Group H and beat the host 3:0. After losing to West Ham (0:2) in the first round, Dinamo holds second place behind the English Premier League club. 

Dinamo has visited Belgium three times since Croatian independence until this Thursday, all in Europa League matches, and won all three times without conceding a goal. This tradition continued today.

Genk opened the game better and was more dangerous through possession, but Dinamo was the one who knew how to use the chance when it appeared.

The first goal was scored by the Croatian champion in the 10th minute. Luka Ivanušec scored for the 1:0 lead. 

Before the end of the first half, Dinamo shook the goal post after Oršić's shot, the home team retaliated in the same way through Heynen, and Dinamo again had a chance to increase the lead. Duje Čop fell in the penalty area after being hit by Toma, which was reviewed by VAR and called for a penalty. In the third minute of the extra time, Bruno Petković scored for 2:0.

Petković once again had an opportunity to score from the penalty spot and did in the 67th minute. Dinamo then calmly brought the game to an end at 3:0. 

After two matches played in the group, West Ham leads the table with six points. Dinamo is in second place with three points, the same as the third-placed Genk. Rapid is in last with one point. 

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September 16, 2021 -  In the first round of the Europa League group stage, West Ham beats Dinamo 2:0 at Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb. 

Dinamo and West Ham met in the first round of the Europa League group stage on Thursday at Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb. Although the Croatian champion has much more experience in European competitions, West Ham's status as a solid Premier League club made them the favorite going into this match. 

Croatia national team player (and former Hajduk star) Nikola Vlašić was in West Ham's starting 11, while Bruno Petković and Mislav Oršić led Dinamo's attack. There were 12,344 spectators at the stadium, of which 859 were West Ham supporters. 

Lineups: 

Dinamo: Livaković - Šutalo, Lauritsen, Theophile-Catherine - Ristovski, Ademi, Mišić, Franjić - Ivanušec - Petković, Oršić

West Ham: Fabianski - Fredericks, Zouma, Diop, Cresswell - Rice, Souček - Vlašić, Lanzini, Fornals - Antonio

The first half was one to forget for the Croatian club and perhaps one of the worst halves they've played in Europe in the last few years. An unrecognizable Dinamo succumbed to West Ham's pressure and gave up two corners in the first 3 minutes of play. 

Dinamo's first attack didn't come until the 11th minute, and Petković and Ademi could not get past Fabianski. An Oršić shot from 30 meters out in the 20th minute almost gave Dinamo the lead, though a catastrophic mistake by Theophile-Catherine put West Ham in the lead instead. Theophile-Catherine weakly passed back to Livaković without realizing Antonio was there to score for 0:1. Livaković had to save Dinamo from another close encounter 3 minutes later. 

Dinamo struggled to find their game, and Vlašić nearly had a few chances for West Ham in the remainder of the half, but the match luckily ended 0:1 for West Ham at halftime. 

Dinamo picked up their pace at the start of the second half with an attacking play immediately in the first minute. But West Ham was quicker to increase their lead, and Declan Rice scored for 0:2 in the 51st minute.

Dinamo had a good chance 3 minutes later when Ivanušec's shot went out for a corner, and another chance again in the 60th, which just missed the goal. 

West Ham subbed out Vlašić for Bowen in the 69th minute.

Dinamo was lucky not to concede another goal in the 79th minute. Tolić pulled a counter-attack with Jurić in the 87th minute, though it was no tough task for Fabianski. 

Three minutes of injury time were added to the end of the match, which was not enough for Dinamo to get back a goal. The match ended 0:2 for West Ham. 

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September 14, 2021 - Dinamo Zagreb is preparing to welcome West Ham at Maksimir Stadium on Thursday to open the Europa League group stage. 

West Ham United is playing in Europe for the first time in five years. The English club played in the competition last when they were led by Slaven Bilić and were shockingly knocked out in the play-offs by Romanian club Astra Giurgiu, reports 24 Sata.

West Ham is in the group stage of the competition for the first time thanks to finishing sixth place in the Premier League last season.

And their first stop? Croatia.

Dinamo, their first group stage opponent, plays in the Europa League group stage for the 14th time in the last 15 seasons.

Nikola Vlašić (23) will once again play against Dinamo in the Europa League group stage. Recall, Vlašić met Dinamo when playing with CSKA Moscow last season and lost at Maksimir. He made his West Ham debut in the draw against Southampton last weekend (0-0).

Spaniard Pablo Fornals (25) knows it won’t be easy, even though the Hammers are favorites for bookmakers (odds 2.25 at West Ham and 3.10 at Dinamo).

"We are playing away. It will be a new experience for all of us, and I hope that we will make all West Ham fans proud," Fornals said for the official West Ham website.

Coach David Moyes has hinted that striker Michail Antonio, who is excluded from the league game and has no right to play against Manchester United at the weekend, will play in Zagreb.

"Will I try other options? He can’t play against United, and you can look at it in several ways. I don't want Mic to be without a game for a few weeks, he played a little for the national team, but I will think about it," said Moyes.

Dinamo captain Arijan Ademi (30), the club's record holder with 87 appearances in UEFA competitions, does not believe that it will be a one-way street.

"With a full stadium, with our fans, with their great support, we can repeat Tottenham. Clearly, I am an optimist; what an athlete I would be if I were not an optimist. We believed then that we could get past the Spurs, and that faith brought us that result," said the captain and continued:

"I appeal to our fans to give us the support they know against West Ham. It means a lot to us on the field; fan support is a big motivator. The louder our fans are, the higher our percentage for success. So I hope they will fill Maksimir."

The match starts at 18.45 on Thursday and will be refereed by Frenchman Ruddy Buquet (44), who refereed Dinamo in their victory against Ferencvaros in Budapest in 2019 (4-0) and was the fourth referee against Neftči in Zagreb in 2011 (3-0). He also refereed the Croatia national team in a draw against Azerbaijan in 2015 (0-0) and victory in Finland in 2016 (1-0).

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