August 27, 2021 - The Europa League draw was held today in Istanbul, with Dinamo in Group H against Genk, West Ham, and Rapid Wien. 

After being relegated from the Champions League playoffs by Moldovan club Sheriff (0-3, 0-0), Dinamo was placed in the first strong group of the Europa League draw and today learned the rivals that stand in their way to a new European spring.

The draw in Istanbul on Friday decided that Dinamo will play in Group H of the Europa League. The Zagreb club has thus drawn Group H with Genk, West Ham, and Rapid Wien. The first match of the group stage is scheduled for September 16.

Dinamo could have had a much worse draw, and a clash against Crvena Zvezda has been avoided. Rapid will threaten Damir Krznar's team from the fourth strong group of the team, West Ham from the third, while Genk, which knocked out Osijek and Lokomotiva from European competitions in previous years, come from the second.

EUROPE LEAGUE GROUP DRAW:

Group A
Lyon
Rangers
Sparta Prague
Brondby

Group B
Monaco
PSV Eindhoven
Real Sociedad
Sturm Graz

Group C
Napoli
Leicester City
Spartak Moscow
Legia Warsaw

Group D
Olympiakos
Eintracht Frankfurt
Fenerbahce
Royal Antwerp

Group E
Lazio
Lokomotiv Moscow
Marseille
Galatasaray

Group F
Braga
Red Star Belgrade
Ludogorets
Midtjylland

Group G
Bayer Leverkusen
Celtic
Real Betis
Ferencvaros

Group H
Dinamo Zagreb
Genk
West Ham
Rapid Vienna

Match dates: September 16 and 30, October 21, November 4 and 25, December 9

The knockout round playoffs are held on February 17 and 24 before the last 16 draw on February 25. The round of 16 is played on March 10 and 17, the quarter-finals on April 7 and 14, and the semis on April 28 and May 5. The Europa League final is on May 18 in Seville. 

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August 25, 2021 - Dinamo loses to Sheriff in the Champions League playoffs and will compete in the Europe League competition instead. 

Dinamo failed to qualify for the Champions League group stage after playing 0:0 against Sheriff in the return match of the playoffs in Zagreb. Sheriff won the first leg 3:0 in Tiraspol.

Dinamo failed to make up for the three-goal deficit, and the Moldovan club thus qualified for the Champions League group stage for the first time.

Dinamo did not find a way to break through the Sheriff's defense led by goalkeeper Athanasiadis, whom Dinamo failed to get by in both matches.

Sheriff unexpectedly started attacking from the first minute, and in the 4th minute, Thill hit the post.

Dinamo had their first chance only after ten minutes. However, Ivanušec missed a good opportunity, and Petković's attempts were defended by the Moldovan goalkeeper Athanasiadis, and the teams went into halftime without goals. 

Sheriff's goalkeeper defended Oršić's shot in the 52nd minute, after which the match calmed down completely. Dinamo's attacks could not penetrate Sheriff's defense.

"We did our best, but we failed. I’m sorry to the wonderful fans, but hopefully, there will be a win in the Europa League. We knew we had to put more pressure than in the first game, but Sheriff deserved the Champions League," Duje Cop said after the game.

Mislav Oršić thanked the fans for their support.

"I don't know what to say; it's hard to analyze the game. They were better; that’s the only thing that matters. After that, we have to turn to the Europa League, and the HNL," said Oršić.

"We reached the last third, but in the end, there was always something missing," added Dinamo's winger.

"Maybe someone will say that this is a failure, but we are in the Europa League in which we did great things last year," concluded Oršić.

Daniele Orsato from Italy refereed in front of 8,100 spectators at the Maksimir Stadium.

Source: HRT

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July 22, 2021 - The first matches of the UEFA Europa Conference League 2nd qualifying round were played on Thursday, featuring Croatian clubs Rijeka, Hajduk, and Osijek. Rijeka and Hajduk both opened the new league with a win, while Osijek drew 0:0 in Poland. 

Gzira United v. Rijeka (0:2)

Rijeka opened the 2nd qualifying round tonight for Croatian clubs against Gzira United in Malta. 

Gzira became known to the Croatian public a few years ago when they came back from a 0:2 Hajduk lead in the first match and celebrated 1:3 at Poljud in the return, sensationally knocking out the Split club in the first round of the Europa League qualifiers.

While the first half went without goals, Denis Busnja put Rijeka in the lead in the 57th minute and Prince Ampem increased it to 2:0 in the 77th minute for the Rijeka win. Lepinijca received a second yellow in the 87th minute and was sent off. 

Hajduk v. Tobol

Hajduk and Tobol met at Poljud at 9 pm in front of over 11,000 spectators as fans returned to stadiums across the country. Tobol currently leads in the Kazakh championship after 19 rounds. They recorded 12 wins, six draws, and one defeat in the league. They have won the last three games, two of which were in the Kazakh Cup.

Hajduk, however, was the much better team in the first half, and a goal by wonderkid Marin Ljubicic put them in the lead in the 21st minute! Hajduk did not slow down in the second half, and another goal by Ljubicic increased Hajduk's lead to 2:0 in the 53rd. Hajduk continued to attack and was unlucky on a few occasions not to get another goal. The match ended 2:0 for Hajduk. 

Osijek v. Pogoń Szczecin

Osijek played away in Poland against Pogoń Szczecin, also from 9 pm. Pogon finished 3rd in the Polish championship last season. Croatian championship runners-up Osijek, however, opened the new season with a 3:0 win against Sibenik, cementing their talent from the start. 

While Osijek had chances in the first half, especially Mierez, the match was 0:0 at halftime. Neither team was able to score in the second half and the match ended 0:0. 

All teams will play the return match one week from today (July 29). 

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May 15, 2021 - The Dinamo victory against Tottenham (3-0) in the return match of the Europa League round of 16 was chosen among the 10 best matches of this season in that competition.

"The Europa League cannot be compared to the universal appeal of the Champions League, but in terms of drama and top entertainment, the competition is far above its weight," the European Football Federation (UEFA) said, announcing the ten best matches of this season in the most massive European Cup.

Among them is the fantastic Dinamo performance when they defeated Tottenham 3-0 at Maksimir Stadium and thus came back after the 0-2 defeat in London.

"After the match, Jose Mourinho went to Dinamo's locker room to congratulate the team that eliminated his team with a hat-trick by Mislav Oršić," UEFA writes, then quoted Damir Krznar.

"This was a wonderful match that you dream about, but don't you dare," Dinamo's coach emphasized at the time.

UEFA singled out two "must-see" moments of the match: Oršić's first goal and Dominik Livaković's fantastic defense against Harry Kane's shot in extra time.

Interestingly, in the selection of fans, Dinamo's victory is in a high second place with 30 percent of the vote.

Only the duel between the Rangers and Benfica, which ended 2-2, collected more votes. The Scottish side led 2-0 but the Portuguese club scored two goals in the last 10 minutes.

10 BEST MATCHES:

Manchester United - Roma 6-2 (first semifinal match)

DINAMO - Tottenham 3-0 (return match of the round of 16)

Arsenal - Benfica 3-2 (return match of the 16th final)

Leicester City - Slavia Prague 0-2 (return match of last 32)

PSV Eindhoven - Olympiacos 2-1 (return match of last 32)

Young Boys - Bayer Leverkusen 4-3 (first match of last 32)

Rangers - Benfica 2-2 (group)

Milan - Lille 0-3 (group)

Spart Prague - Celtic 4-1 (group)

Villarreal - Sivasspor 5-3 (group)

Source: HRT

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April 15, 2021 - Dinamo drops out of Europa League after losing to Villarreal in the return quarterfinal match on Thursday in Spain. 

Dinamo and Villarreal met in the Europa League quarterfinal return match on Thursday in Spain. The famous Spanish club won 1:0 in the first match seven days ago at Maksimir Stadium thanks to a penalty by Moreno.

Villarreal was the absolute favorite to move forward, but Dinamo went into the match with every intention of winning. At yesterday's press conference, Damir Krznar and Mislav Oršić openly said that the hosts were the favorites, but so was Tottenham, and that Dinamo had the right to hope and continue to dream the European dream.

Lineups

VILLARREAL: Rulli - Foyth, Albiol, Pau Torres, Pedraza - Parejo, Capoue, Trigueros - Moreno, Alcacer, Chukuweze

DINAMO: Livaković - Ristovski, Lauritsen, Theophile, Gvardiol - Ademi, Jakić, Ivanušec, Majer, Oršić - Petković

Recap

Dinamo had a tough time finding their footing at the start of the match and only had their first real chance in the 11th minute. Villarreal proved to be too strong for the Croatian champion, and after hitting the post in the 24th minute, Chukuweze scored for 1:0 10 minutes later. Moreno increased Villarreal's lead to 2:0 just before the half for a 3:0 aggregate for the Spanish club.

Dinamo started the second half much better than the first. Majer was one-on-one with the keeper five minutes in, and Gvardiol found Oršić at the top of the box who just missed the far post minutes later. 

An epic save by Livakovic in the 66th gave Dinamo hope, and another Oršić far post rocket almost made it 2:1. 

But Oršić finally got his chance. Petković assisted the Dinamo star for 2:1 in the 75th minute! 

Oršić hit over the post when a free-kick was awarded to Dinamo just outside the box in the 87th minute. The referee added 3 minutes of extra time.

Dinamo thus says goodbye to this Europa League season after a historic run. 

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April 8, 2021 - Villarreal tops Dinamo in the first leg of the Europa League quarterfinals in Zagreb (1:0).

After sensationally knocking out Tottenham in the last 16, Dinamo met Villarreal for the first quarterfinal match of the Europa League at Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb on Thursday. 

However, Dinamo could not count on all of the stars that brought them success in the last round. Coach Damir Krznar announced before the match that Joško Gvardiol and attackers Bruno Petković and Mario Gavranović were injured.

Lineups

Dinamo: Livaković - Ristovski, Theophile, Lauritsen, Gvardiol - Ademi, Jakić, Ivanušec, Majer, Oršić - Atiemwen

Villarreal: Rulli - Foyth, Albiol, Pau Torres, Pedraza - Capoue, Dani Parejo, Trigueros - Gerard Moreno, Chukwueze, Bacca

Recap

Villarreal had the first attempt of the match but Livakovic saved nearing the 7th minute. And it didn't take long for Dinamo to be dangerous, too. A Majer shot was difficult for the Villarreal keeper in the 10th minute, resulting in a corner. Atiemwen shot near post in the next play.

Villarreal had a few uneasy attacks in the 10 minutes that followed, but Livakovic was solid to keep the net clean for the Zagreb club.

An incredible play between Orsic and Atiemwen resulted in an offside goal in the 25th minute. Orsic had a Tottenham-style chance in the 33rrd but hit over the goal. Dinamo was certainly pressing Villarreal's defense.

Unfortunately, just a few minutes before halftime, the referee awarded Villarreal a penalty after Theophile's handball in the box. Moreno scored for the Spanish club to lead 0:1 at the half. 

Atiemwen threatened Villarreal's goal to start the second half, while a Gvardiol attempt 10 minutes late was saved.

Coach Krznar decided to risk Bruno Petkovic who was subbed on for Atiemwen in the 60th minute. Kastrati also replaced Jakic to boost the offense. Petkovic found Ristovski in the 68th minute but his shot was blocked.

Dinamo used its third substitution in the 71st minute - Leovac entered instead of Gvardiol.

In the 82nd minute, Dinamo made a double substitution - Majer and Oršić came out for Franjić and Tolić.

Dinamo was lucky Villarreal didn't increase their lead in the final minutes of the match as their backline remained solid. The match ended 0:1 for the Spanish side. 

Dinamo will visit Villarreal next Thursday in Spain at the same time. 

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March 19, 2021 - The Europa League draw on Friday revealed that it will be Dinamo against Villarreal in the quarterfinal!

The Europa League quarterfinal draw was held in Nyon on Friday afternoon. Croatian champion Dinamo is among the eight clubs that will compete in the quarterfinals. 

Arsenal, Manchester United, Roma, Granada, Villarreal, Slavia Prague, and Ajax also reached the quarterfinals. There were no restrictions in the quarterfinals and all clubs could play each other. The pairs were drawn by former Arsenal and City player Gael Clichy.

After the draw for the quarterfinals, a draw for the semifinals was held.

Quarterfinal draw: 

Granada - Manchester United

Arsenal - Slavia

Ajax - Roma

Dinamo - Villarreal

Semifinal draw:

Granada / Manchester United - Ajax / Roma

DINAMO / Villarreal - Arsenal / Slavia

If Dinamo passes Villarreal, they will play with the better team from the clash between Arsenal and Slavia in the semis. The Croatian champion was lucky in the draw because they avoided any Premier League sides in the quarterfinals, but also the mighty Ajax.

Dinamo will thus play against the seventh-placed team of the Spanish championship, which isn't having the greater season. Villarreal knocked out Dynamo Kyiv (4:0) and Red Bull Salzburg (4:1) on the way to the quarterfinals.

According to Transfermarkt, Villarreal is worth 250 million euros and the most expensive player is stopper Pau Torres (50 million euros). The biggest stars are Spanish strikers Gerard Moreno and Paco Alcacer, and last year the great midfielder Dani Parejo from Valencia arrived.

Dinamo and Villarreal played 10 years ago in the group stage of the same competition. Dinamo won 2:0 in the first round at Maksimir and lost 0:3 in the return match in Spain.

The first quarterfinal matches are on April 8, and the return matches on April 15, while the semifinals are played on April 29 and May 6. Dinamo will host the first match in the quarterfinal and in the eventual semifinal.

The Europa League final is on May 26 in Gdansk. The winner Europa League winner will win a direct place in the group stage of the Champions League next season.

Source: Index.hr

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March 18, 2021 - In a wild comeback, Dinamo tops Tottenham thanks to an Oršić hattrick and books a spot in the Europa League quarterfinal! The match ended 3-0 after extra time at Maksimir Stadium on Thursday night. 

Croatian champions Dinamo met Premier League side Tottenham in the Europa League round of 16 return match at Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb on Thursday. In the first match in London, Tottenham won 2-0 with goals from Harry Kane.

Dinamo's backline changed compared to the first game. From the first minute, Franjić started instead of Leovac. On the other side, Son was not available to Jose Mourinho due to injury.

DINAMO: Livaković - Ristovski, Lauritsen, Theophile-Catherine, Franjić - Majer, Jakić, Ademi - Ivanušec, Petković, Oršić

TOTTENHAM: Lloris - Davies, Dier, Sanchez, Aurier - Winks, Sissoko - Moura, Alli, Lamela - Kane

After the Croatian Supreme Court upheld his verdict and imprisonment, Zoran Mamić resigned as coach of Dinamo earlier this week. Dinamo was thus led by former assistant Damir Krznar in tonight's match. 

Dinamo v. Tottenham Recap

Dinamo came out hungry to get a result that would keep them in the Europa League this season, which was evident from the start. However, there were not really dangerous opportunities from either side until the 30th-minute mark. 

The best chance of the match came from Lovro Majer who shot from the edge of the penalty area just outside the near post. One minute later, Dinamo threatened Tottenham's net again.

After two great opportunities for Dinamo, both sides calmed. Tottenham managed to win the ball again and keep possession. 

Tottenham's best chance came from Kane who was 1-on-1 with Livaković in the 44th minute, but the Dinamo goalkeeper acted brilliantly to keep the score level at the half. 

The second half saw no lineup changes. 

Dinamo's first attempt of the second half came in the 58th minute. Majer and Oršić saw their chances blocked, and Petković faked the Spurs defender only to shoot over the goal.

Gareth Bale was subbed on for Lamela two minutes later. 

Dinamo finally saw the back of the net in the 62nd minute - a stunning (and classic) Oršić shot from outside the box nailed the upper corner for the Dinamo lead! It was 1-0 with 28 minutes to go. 

Dinamo continued to attack in the remainder of the second half, giving Tottenham little chance of equalizing.

And then it happened - Atiemwen served Oršić who scored his second goal for 2-0 and extra time!

Leovac had a great chance for Dinamo in the 95th minute but served Gavranović a tough ball in front of the goal to keep the score even. Bale missed near post in the 102nd. 

The man of the hour started the second half of extra time with the unthinkable - Mislav Oršić scored a hattrick for 3-0 Dinamo! 

In the final minutes of extra time, a series of stellar saves by Livaković kept Dinamo ahead. A nail-biting ending, and the ref added two minutes of injury time. But Dinamo held on to win 3-0!

Dinamo will learn their quarter-final opponent after the Europa League draw tomorrow.

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March 11, 2021 - Tottenham tops Dinamo 2:0 in the first leg of the Europa League round of 16 tonight in London.

The Croatian champion returned to Tottenham for the first time since 2008 when they lost 4:0 in Group D of the then Uefa Cup.

Jose Mourinho's side has been in great form lately with four consecutive championship victories and a 13:1 goal difference. Tottenham is now in the fight for the first four spots leading to the Champions League, which allowed Mourinho to rest some of his starters, even though Harry Kane and Heung-min Son began from the first minute on Thursday. Gareth Bale was on the bench.

Dinamo also came to London in great form and full of confidence after a great Europa League season thus far. Mamic's team finished the group stage undefeated and topped Krasnodar in the last 32. Zoran Mamić did not make significant changes to the starting 11.

Starting lineups

Tottenham: Lloris - Davies, Dier, Sanchez, Aurier - Ndombele, Alli, Sissoko - Son, Kane, Lamela

Dinamo: Livaković - Leovac, Theophile_Catherine, Lauritsen, Ristovski - Ivanušec, Ademi, Jakić, Majer - Oršić, Petković

Tottenham v Dinamo Recap

Dinamo entered the match with confidence, and even though Tottenham pressured Dinamo's defense more in the first 20 minutes, the Zagreb side held their own. 

That is, until the 25th minute, when Lamela danced through Dinamo's defense, hit the post, only for Kane to finish for 1:0 Tottenham. 

Tottenham ended the first half with 67% possession, though they had only two more shots than Dinamo (6/4), and Dinamo had more shots on goal (2/3). 

While Tottenham maintained their momentum at the start of the second half, Petković had Dinamo's best chance in the 59th minute, shooting just near post to keep Tottenham in the lead. 

Tottenham increased its lead in the 70th minute. Theophile-Catherine weakly cleared the ball out of the box to Kane who scored his second goal for 2:0. Dinamo was unable to come back. 

Dinamo and Tottenham will meet in the return match at Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb on Thursday, March 18. 

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February 25, 2021 - Dinamo advances to Europa League last 16 after defeating Krasnodar in the return match of the Europa League last 32 at Maksimir Stadium on Thursday.

In the first match played seven days ago in Russia, the Croatian champion won 3:2 and thus gained a big advantage before the return match in Zagreb.

Bruno Petković was brilliant with two goals, and the winning goal was the work of Iyayi Atiemwen. Marcus Berg and Victor Claesson scored for Krasnodar, though Berg did not arrive in Zagreb and did not play tonight.

Dinamo has been waiting to play a 'European spring' for 49 years. Now, for the second time in the last three seasons, they have reached the round of 16.

Recall, two years ago, Dinamo knocked out Victoria Plzen in the last 32, and then lost to Benfica in the round of 16.

Even with the advantage going into Thursday's return match, relaxing was not an option for the Zagreb club. Dinamo came out aggressively in the first half, with both dangerous attacking plays and solid defense. But Krasnodar maintained the same momentum, and possession was 50/50.

Krasnodar's keeper was brilliant in goal to keep the Russian side's net clear for most of the first half, while Livakovic was put to work, too. 

But Dinamo got their chance in the  31st minute. In a brilliant attacking play, Jakić found Oršić who scored from ten meters for 1:0! It was Oršić's 14th goal in European matches for Dinamo. 

The second half started with no changes for either side. Dinamo maintained their advantage in the second half, even though Krasnodar seemed to have more ball in possession. The Russian side, however, could not find the way to Livakovic's net.

The ref added three minutes to the end of the match, in which neither team was able to score. With this victory, Dinamo advances to the round of 16!

The last 16 draw will take place on Friday, February 26 in Nyon at 1 pm. 

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