Dinamo Zagreb couldn’t find the back of the net in 180 minutes against Moldovan champions Sheriff Tiraspol and will now be headed to the Europa League group stage because of it. Through both matches, Dinamo’s finishing in the final third was mediocre and never shook a Sheriff side that decided to bunker at Maksimir Wednesday night, protecting a 3-0 1st leg win.
Dinamo will be a seeded Pot 1 side in Friday’s draw which will set up a favorable road to once again play in the knockout rounds after the new year. There is also the chance that Dinamo is paired with Serbian side Crvena Zvezda in this year’s group stage as they nearly played each other in CL qualifying. Lots to look forward to regarding Dinamo and European football again this season.
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Dinamo Zagreb were absolutely outclassed last week in Moldova when they lost 3-0 to Sheriff Tiraspol in the final round of Champions League qualifying. The winner of this draw heads to the prestigious Champions League group stage while the loser plays in Europa League.
It’s not the end of the world if Dinamo don’t make it to CL even though they were given a kind road this season. It’s the perennial debate we have regarding Dinamo every season:
Is Champions League better for them to play in or Europa League?
Outside of more cash and star-studded matches in Zagreb, it does the team no good if they are getting pounded 6-0 in CL matches for three months straight. Obviously, I’m justifying the situation but imagine if Dinamo were drawn with Chelsea, PSG, and Porto. They wouldn’t get one point out of that group. The exact thing happened during the 2016 CL group stage when Dinamo lost all six matches with a -15 goal differential against Juventus, Sevilla, and Lyon. Not one goal was scored by a Dinamo player.
Dinamo came back from a 2-0 first leg defeat to Tottenham last season during the Europa League Round of 16. So to say they couldn’t overturn 3-0 against Sheriff at Maksimir is anything farther than the truth.
Could Dinamo pull off one more miracle or is it back to Europa League for the Croatian champions? The match kicks off at 3PM (ET) Wednesday.
Petkovic was a nice hot croissant 🥐 coming out of the oven 2 years ago where even supposedly Barca was interested…wink wink
Now he’s a week old donut that nobody seems to want.
Has that window completely closed on big Bruno..did Dinamo blow their chance?
Group H
Dinamo
Genk
West Ham
Rapid Wien
West Ham will give our players some more exposure to the EPL.
Majer is now at Rennes for 15 million Euro.
I wonder when they plan on selling Orsic.
Well, at least Dinamo has at least pretty much established that it’s a fringe Champions League team and solid Europa League team. As for the others, not qualifying for the super watered down Conference League just demonstrates what a dumpster fire the HNL actually is. I’m quite disappointed.
I thought Sheriff actually looked pretty good, and not just because of Dinamo’s mediocrity. That Sheriff team is good. Maybe we saw Moldova and thought this team would be third rate, but it’s actually an international team with solid players at all positions.
Europa has a lot of good teams in it this year.
Will be interesting for sure.
Speaking of fc Sheriff They received a difficult group and will not progress.
Dinamo group is drawn tomorrow. I wax surprised they were ranked higher than Lazio. Rijeka still in play and imagine if crvena zvezda gets in. I would of preferred champions league for Dinamo but still looking forward to them play in Europa league.
I enjoy Slavonac’s unstable outbreaks, lol
😉
Slavonac was the only one who said Dinamo shouldn’t take sheriff lightly after “someone!” Wrote it should be a walk in the park..which I agreed upon as did most of us.
Behind lunacy lies genius at times 😜
I’m playing 4D chess.
This is all a part of my plan to ensure that HNL teams do not get too big headed (and end up filling their squads with foreigners) and to destroy Igor Bišćan’s monopoly on all players under 25 years of age.
Senior national team is all that matters, and all HNL teams and U21 teams are meant to serve that sole purpose.
In the words of the great Grgur Ninski…
“don’t piss on my toe, byiiitch!”
yeah thanks Medo, I do believe people are caught up thinking like this era is 20 years back and minnows like Dinamo and Sheriff can’t compete. Its obvious they aren’t nearly the powerhouse as many of these teams are with MASSIVE budgets but more often than we used to see. Teams can get a favourable result in these tournaments and also at Euro’s and the World Cup. The game is changing and fitness, strategy and tactics have become far more important than ever!
I knew we’d struggle because I saw the team isn’t complete…and they aren’t very deep at the moment.
Even though Kvartuc is a dirty Hajdukovac, he does a good job in terms of limiting his bias when putting out pieces.
@ Slavonac,
Isuse moj! What in the hell are you talking about now?!
For 10+ years you’ve been babbling about my anti-Dinamo sentiment and my Hajduk bias. Hajduk Bias!!! Please tell me the last time I wrote an article on Hajduk. Please. 5, 6, 7 years??
I’m here to talk about relevant Croatian soccer and Croatian sports. Dinamo is relevant. That’s why we talk about Dinamo and Dinamo gets the most articles. Who has supplied the most HNL players to the national team? Dinamo.
This has been the perennial debate here for a decade…and I’d like to know your answer.
Would you rather Dinamo show up to CL with no chance of progressing or compete in Europa League? My answer is EL. Look what they did last year. Made it all the way to the quarters! AMAZING!
I used 2016 as an exaggerated example. But they did not score one goal that campaign. In 2019 they had a golden opportunity to finish 2nd/3rd in group against an extremely favorable draw in Atalanta/Shakhtar and they still shit the bed. If they can’t handle those mid-level European sides, what makes you think Dinamo can do damage in a group that’s comprised of Chelsea, Dortmund, Porto or City, PSG, RB Leipzig?
Just watch the group Sheriff gets.
I’d have loved to see them qualify. If I’m not mistaken, if they got bounced in the first round, they’d still end up in Europa League.
Ademi was injured, I heard Jakic refused to play (might be a rumour) and a few other issues and injuries.
This team has dealt with adversity and I do think if everyone was healthy, they could “compete”…maybe not get wins but I think they’d be respectable. If you remember last CL season, they did really well and beat some tough teams as well as lost by one goal in each game vs Villarreal. That’s more than decent.
Ok so I misread what you wrote Ante…my apologies!
…I meant to say EL season
Boys …can’t we all just get along.
Hug it out …naked if need be,to prove whose the bigger man!
ohhhhhhh good ol Slavonac. Used to be alright back in the day, starts a fire with a comment online, lots and lots of emotion. Only to lose to everyone else in the comment section every time.
He’s a McGregor. And the rest of us are his Porier 😘
@Slavonac you gotta learn to deal with people who disagree with you my friend! Dinamo got blown out. 3-0 is bad. Regardless of who played, man. And you know from my articles that I’m all Dinamo.
The truth said it right, starting a war with literally no one but yourself. Embarrassing really
Kvartuc and I get along well and we can call each other out. I didn’t like his description…it looked like it was a general comment when in fact Dinamo had a bad game, have been riddled with injuries and lost some decent players.
When was the last time “Dinamo got blown out” prior to last week…and that was my point. Every team has a bad day, Dinamo had a bad game at the wrong time snd I felt Ante was insinuating that Dinamo would get slaughtered 6-0 per game if they made it…which I think is a little exaggerated.
I’m never sure if someone is talking as a homer or objectively anymore. Anyone that’s followed Dinamo these past several months should realize they had a bad game and I don’t believe the majority of teams at this stage in Champions League would blow anyone out 6-0!
Kvartuc
Can you please categorically deny this jokers claim
He is clearly a trouble maker
You truly are “categorically” irrelevant and never make any relevant comments. I feel sorry for you cause you say things hoping to get a response and yet, nobody gives a fuck about anything you ever say!
You talking about yourself fella? You’re making a fool of yourself my friend, you’re opinion is no more valuable than anyone else’s.
As a Dinamo supporter myself, there was nothing wrong with what Mr. Kvartuč wrote, you’re the only one who’s mad about it!
Nastrodamus I’m not …in a million years I never thought this would end a scoreless draw.
I just watched the game.
Dinamo wasn’t half as good as last year.
I think Franjic was decent. HNS should keep an eye on him.
Ivanusec was okay by moments but didn’t actually impress me.
Petkovic was one of Dinamo’s best players… but not good enough.
Majer was shit. He’s not half the player Vlasic & Sucic are. I think he’ll never get into our national team.
Orsic has a good attitude and a nice shot but that’s it. He can get pass a defender, is technically very limited.
Too less self confidence in this team which leaded to too slow football and too many technical mistakes. Simply not good enough to beat Sheriff.
Anyone ever feel like slavonac is fighting a war that no one else is fighting in?
Slavonac
Where the fuck in that article makes kvartuc biased against Dinamo especially as a hajduk supporter
Fuck your are a tosser
You add nothing to this site. You’re ignorant and meaningless…nobody ever takes any of your comments seriously…maybe you should report to the “Fuck Off” department?!
We are so trash lol. This is a sign we need foreign players, better coaching or new management. Dinamo shouldn’t be missing out on Champions League to team from Moldova. The fact they couldn’t put one past them at home or get at least a W is pathetic. Don’t wanna even hear the backlash the national team will get if we drop points to Slovenia, Slovakia or Russia next month.
I didn’t watch and based on the game statistics it looks like Dinamo dominated with Sherrif likely bunkering. Still, pretty sad that they couldn’t score. Europa is definitely where they belong.
Atta boy Medo!
Come on Dinamo, show us something..
Sucic starting for Salzburg in the #10. Very impressive that a teenager starts there in the CL
Kvartuc…you write this as a Hajduk supporter and your bias is very clear.
“Dinamo Zagreb were absolutely outclassed last week in Moldova” – they had 3 starters missing from their lineup, they are down to on e centre back due to injuries…come on bro, you can at least paint a better picture.
You say this as if you love it – “Outside of more cash and star-studded matches in Zagreb, it does the team no good if they are getting pounded 6-0 in CL matches for three months straight.”
a healthy Dinamo can compete with Sheriff and they’d also be able to hold their own in CL. they lost some of their best players, they have injuries and the season started very quick for them with several games in a row…including CL and HNL games.
I love Dinamo, and I will always cheer for the “Modri”.
Yes…they had injuries, but you cannot deny the fact that Dinamo were completely outclassed last game. It was the worst game that I have ever seen Dinamo play. That being said, we still have a chance.
Eric, thats not my point bro. Look at the verbage….its obvious there’s a negative bias towards Dinamo (as usual). I don’t think Dinamo is as bad as the description…even in Champions League. They lost out to Villarreal last season and Villarreal ended up winning Europa League and only lost to to Chelsea in the Super Cup in pk’s.
Good point. Jebiga…he’s a hajduk fan, he can’t help it 🙂
I’m predicting a 2-0 win for dinamo
Maybe in his final game in blue, Majer delivers something to remember?
All the elements are there for Dinamo to make this a very exciting game and solidify themselves as comeback kids.
1 they are at home
2 they can’t possibly play worse than they did last week
3 sheriff acted like they had already won the tie at the end of last game,and the boys in blue certainly noticed.
4 2-0 is the most dangerous score line in soccer and an early goal in essence turns this into a 2-0 game with sheriff bunkering.
5 if we get a goal early the fans will really come to life and inspire the boys 6 sheriff has no real pedigree or experience in a situation such as this.
7 all bets are off if peric is hurt and that bum #29 plays ,he’s pure garbage.
8 worst case I see this playing out as one very entertaining affair.
They have nothing to lose
They can go all out and just go at them with little regard
Worse care they are in Europa and have some good games coming anyways