November 25, 2021 - Dinamo and Genk played 1:1 at Maksimir stadium on Thursday night in the 5th round of the Europe League Group H, securing at least a spot in the Conference League in the spring. If Dinamo does not lose to West Ham in the last round in London, they will play in the Europa League knockout phase. 

Dinamo and Genk met in the 5th round of the Europa League at Maksimir stadium on Thursday. A victory or a point would have brought Dinamo to the next stage of a European competition, meaning the Zagreb club would secure at least second place in the group with a new victory tonight. However, even with a defeat, the Croatian champion would not fall out completely. 

Looking only at the result of the first match against Genk, Dinamo was the absolute favorite tonight, defeating Genk away 3:0 in their first Europa League meeting at the end of September.

While both sides had their fair share of chances in the first half, Dinamo took the lead with a goal by Luka Menalo in the 35th minute. Thanks to a long ball by Theophile, Krznar's joker withstood pressure on his back to tap the ball into the back of the net for 1:0. 

Unfortunately, in the last seconds of the first half, Ugbo's crossbar shot went over the goal line to equalize at 1:1.

While there were a few close calls for both teams in the second half, neither team was able to score to keep the result even at 1:1. 

West Ham and Dinamo will face off in the final round in London on Thursday, December 9. If Dinamo does not lose to West Ham in the last round, they will play in the Europa League knockout phase. If they lose, they will move to the Conference League. 

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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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July 21, 2021 - Dinamo defeats Omonia at Maksimir in the first match of the Champions League 2nd qualifying round.

Shocked after losing at home to Slaven Belupo to open the new HNL season, Dinamo set off on Tuesday against Omonia looking for redemption and to continue on the road that leads to the Champions League group stage. However, the experienced Nicosia team proved to be a powerful opponent, although Damir Krznar sent out the Croatian champion's strongest lineup.

Fortunately, Dinamo defeated Cypriot club Omonia 2:0 (0:0) in the first match of the Champions League 2nd qualifying round on Tuesday at Maksimir.

Lovro Majer scored the leading goal for Dinamo in the 65th minute. Kristijan Jakić increased Dinamo's lead with a header in the 81st minute. The return match is scheduled for one week, July 27. 

Coach Damir Krznar can be happy with the win and worried about the injured Ademi and Ivanušec. How serious their injuries are will be shown by additional tests.

"Behind us is the first half that we finished with a 2:0 lead, but the game is still going on. Therefore, our advantage is grateful, but we will have to do our best to keep it in the second game, but the aim is to increase ou advantage," Krznar said at the press conference and added:

"Omonia did not surprise us. They did what they normally do, extremely organized in the 4-4-2 system on the defensive; throughout the week, the basic instruction was - be patient. We are a better team, but every team against such teams can have problems. Ademi's injury also contributed to the weaker first half.

Ivanušec is fine, Ademi does not look good at first glance, but we will know more after the examination. He is tormented by his quadriceps and limp, and Ivanušec received a blow to the chest and ran out of air. It's okay now. Ademi did not recognize whether it was from a tackle or the muscle gave way," said Krznar.

The winner of this round will advance to the 3rd qualifying round and play against the winner of Polish club Legia and the Estonian champion Flora, while the defeated teams will move to the Europa League's 3rd qualifying round. 

Source: HRT

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April 11, 2021 - GNK Dinamo presented their vision for a new Maksimir stadium on Saturday, designed by famous Zagreb architect Otto Barić.

The club pointed out that they want a new Maksimir stadium, a place where club history was created and where thousands of fans celebrated victories, mourned defeats, and where all Dinamo fans' emotions are written in the frozen sequences of legendary victories.

"Based on materials made by the club, and in line with UEFA standards, the visual appearance of the stadium in Maksimir was made by the famous Zagreb architect Otto Barić, with his partners from the specialized company Polymachine who translated the idea and vision into these photos," published the club.

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It is a proposal to build a stadium with a capacity of 34,000 seats, with large parking capacities - 300 VIP parking spaces and 30 VIP spaces, then PRESS parking and parking for spectators. All seats in the stadium are seated and covered, with a fan shop and a club museum, and additional commercial facilities on the north stand. Modern hospitality is planned in the entire stadium, as well as a state-of-the-art media complex. Of the ceremonial lodges, there are 2,000 VIP seats in the west and 1,000 VIP seats in the east, behind which is the camp of Dinamo's football school with the necessary infrastructure. The guest tribune would be in the southern part of the stadium.

The new Maksimir stadium would be fully accessible, in line with all UEFA and FIFA recommendations, and the construction of facilities for spectators with disabilities is planned. On 1,000 individual seats, 5 places are provided to accommodate spectators with disabilities and their companions, with accessible entrances and other services.

The club estimates that the construction would cost around 60 million euros, and Dinamo says that they want to participate in constructing a new stadium with a strategic partner in the project - the City of Zagreb.

Source: HRT

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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 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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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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December 23, 2020 – On Thursday, December 24, the Zagreb City Museum opens an exhibition about Maksimir Stadium by Hela Vukadin-Doronjga, also dedicated to the sports architecture of Vladimir Turina, one of the most influential Croatian architects.

As the Museum reports, by fitting into the situation of a relatively cramped plot along Maksimirska Cesta, opening an extraordinary view of the Maksimir forest and Medvednica in the distance, and with the high level of design and details, Maksimir Stadium is an exceptional work of sports architecture.

The exhibition aims to give a historical exhibition, contextualize and emphasize Maksimir Stadium's importance and the surrounding area as an inspiring environment. The goal is to affirm this space as the source point of Zagreb sports, its architecture and urbanism, connection with the club, fans, man, city, and the forest-park Maksimir.

Stadiums and their "spatial enormity" contain a collective, urban identity, emotional factors. Football club Dinamo Zagreb is a sports symbol of Zagreb and much more than that because football is a universal value today. Dinamo is a record holder in the history of the World Cup finals in terms of the number of its former and active players.

The exhibition is a result of many years of scientific research by the author Hela Vukadin-Doronjga, museum advisor. It presents the Maksimir Stadium through history and today, emphasizing the projects of architect Vladimir Turina (1913-1968), and especially his projects of sports architecture.

The exhibition consists of original drawings, photographs, and publications of designing and constructing Maksimir Stadium (1945-1969) and other sports architecture buildings by Vladimir Turina. Also, the exhibition presents various objects that explain the mentioned material: useful items that belonged to Turina, GNK Dinamo trophies, plastic chairs from the stands, grass, "puppets" for free kicks, projections of mythical matches, posters, and catalogs of two big concerts of David Bowie and U2 held at the stadium, etc.

Models of the west and east stands were made for the exhibition. A model of the entire stadium was borrowed from the Faculty of Architecture.

As Hina reports, the architectural legacy of Vladimir Turina is still an inspiration today because his language of architecture is understandable, real, simple, emotional, and strong. Professor Turina looked at architecture decades in advance. After the Second World War, he devoted himself intensively to sports architecture, especially the design of stadiums and swimming pools.

He has won numerous awards and recognitions in Croatia and abroad. As an architectural design professor, he raised generations of students at the Zagreb, then the only Croatian Faculty of Architecture.

The exhibition will be on display until March 28, 2021.

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December 10, 2020 - Rijeka closed out their Europa League campaign this season with a win against AZ Alkmaar, while Dinamo topped CSKA Moscow 3:1 at home and made European history. 

In the final 6th round of the Europa League on Thursday, Rijeka defeated AZ Alkmaar 2-1 (0-0) at Rujevica in Group F.

Rijeka took the lead with a goal by Menalo in the 52nd minute, but five minutes later, Wijndal equalized. Rijeka sealed their victory with a goal by Tomečak in the third minute of added time. The club bid farewell to the European competition until next season after finishing last in the group. 

Although the match was much more important for the Dutch club, whose victory ensured their passage to the next round, Rijeka was equally motivated on the pitch, even though they had long known that this would be the end.

In the second match of this group, Napoli and Real Sociedad played 1-1 (1-0) at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. Napoli led with a goal by Zielinski (35), and Willian Jose equalized in the second minute of added time. 

Napoli won first place in Group F with 11 points; Real Sociedad finished in second place with nine, AZ Alkmaar remained third with eight points, while Rijeka was last with four points.

In the later match on Thursday, Dinamo, who already won first place in Group K before the final round, defeated CSKA Moscow at Maksimir thanks to goals by Joško Gvardiol in the 28th minute, Mislav Orsic in the 41st, and Lirim Kastrati in the 74th. 

Dinamo was not without motive tonight, as they could have entered European football history as the first team to finish a Europa League group or a Champions League group without conceding a goal. Unfortunately, a late goal by CSKA's Bistrovic (74') cut their dream short.

However, Dinamo still made history tonight for going the longest in the Champions League or Europa League group stages without conceding a goal. Namely, Dinamo did not concede a goal for 527 minutes this season. Manchester United was the last club to hold the record, going 482 minutes without conceding a goal in the 2010/11 Champions League group stage.

In the second match of Group K, Wolfsberger AC defeated Feyenoord 1-0. 

Dinamo thus finished at the top of Group K, Wolfsberger finished in second, Feyenoord in third, and CSKA Moscow in the last place. 

The UEFA Europa League draw for the next round will be held in just a few days, on December 14.

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