HUGE win for Dinamo to begin their 8-game Europa League season Wednesday night from Maksimir! The current HNL leaders were the better team throughout the 90 minutes against Fenerbahce, who finished 2nd place in Turkey last season.
Dinamo controlled the ball for only 45% of the match but were more dangerous with three shots on target. Beljo opened up the scoring after a bouncing ball in the box would not be cleared. In the 2nd half, he scored his second goal of the match; perfectly staying onside to easily tap in a Hoxha pass across. Bakrar would add an insurance goal in the 95′.
Perfect start for Dinamo in Europe! Next match: Maccabi Tel Aviv on October 2nd. This match will likely be played at a neutral sight due to the conflict in the Gaza Strip. Their final Europa League qualifying match was played in Serbia, so Dinamo should expect a much shorter plane flight compared to heading down to Israel.
After a huge 2-0 win over Hajduk at the weekend to take a 3-point lead atop the HNL, Dinamo will open up their Europa League Wednesday night at Maksimir against Turkish side Fenerbahce.
Fenerbahce finished 2nd place in a very good Turkish Super Lig last year, however, lost 1-0 to Benfica in the Champions League playoff round and were ultimately relegated to the Europa “League Phase”. Since that loss on August 27th, Fenerbahce sacked manager Jose Mourinho and sent Dominik Livaković to Girona on a season-long loan.
Let’s see what Night 1 of eight have in store for Dinamo and Fenerbahce. Lineups will be posted one hour prior to kickoff.
Dinamo will also face Maccabi Tel Aviv, Malmo, Celta Vigo, Lille, Real Betis, FCSB and Midtjylland in Europa League this campaign.
The decision on banning Israel national teams and their club sides by UEFA and FIFA will be made next week from what I have read in the media. Somehow, I doubt that it will happen ?
Next Thursday is the UEFA meeting to discuss the potential ban on Israel.
The match vs Maccabi will be played at the home of Backa Topola and away tickets for Dinamo have been closed so there will be mostly 0 away support
Has it been confirm that Israeli teams won’t be banned from all UEFA competitions?
I thought I read somewhere that it’s still up in the air whether or not this Dinamo vs Maccabi game will happen.
If Anonymous was to guess DZ already knows the outcome of the vote – and saving its supporters the hassle of ordering tickets (and travel) and then seeking a refund, etc
Otherwise seems random that supporters are told not to travel (and highly doubt it’s based on a Croatian government political decision outside of what UEFA is dealing w)
TBD
Given vote today v-a-v recognition – we can safely say there is no Governmental influence in DZ announcement – if anything – they would order them to go to them game and play it (if UEFA votes no match) which probably isn’t happening
As people wonder why misic isn’t called up and moro is, i think it’s often unappreciated that these are not simply pieces on a chessboard to move around for dalic but actual people who has a relationship with. He knows moro and likely likes him cause of his families zds lifestyle. It’s tough for dalic to turn around and just tell moro who’s been riding with him now for a while at training, tournaments etc, see you later .
This is both Dalic’s strength and his weakness (other than subs and in-game tactics).
He likes to keep a consistent locker room presence with existing relationships, which can be great for developing strong camaraderie.
But he’s also created a socialist environment, where worker seniority takes precedence over talent and results (i.e. overplaying Broz at Euro2024 that cost us progression).
It’s a double edged sword that he has to manage.
This is why I’m interested to see what happens when Kovacic comes back.
Does he push Krama out of central midfield and back onto the wing (just so he can start both Modric and Kovacic with Sucic)?
This would be a disaster move for us (since Krama has been elite for us behind the striker in his favored role) and would warrant a firing.
I’m hoping that Dalic makes the tough decision to bench one of Kovacic and Modric (and have one of them come off the bench)…but I think this goes against his ‘seniority’ model that he’s implemented.
Hopefully one of Modric/Kovacic is going to advise him to do so
Let’s not forget that Modric’s word is probably heard and respected… somehow. Sure Dalić decides in the end, but if we hope for such decisions then probably others around him do too. And if the players themselves say they agree that could also have its effect. I’m pretty sure that Modric wants what’s best for the repka and is able of more rational thinking than Dalić
Imagine Modric retires and becomes the repka’s coach in a few yeaaaars
Modrić is essentially the coach now. The HNS and even Olić have their fingers in player selection as well.
It’s why Vušković was “given” to Olić for the previous round.
You think coaches like Deschamps from France or de la Fuente from Spain give a crap about the U21 coach when they called up teenagers like Zaire-Emery, Huijsen and Como’s Rodriguez in these past few rounds?
Dalić likes to keep everyone happy. It’s largely the reason they kept him on after the two Euro failures.
Modrić is a competitor and wants to play. So does Kova. So does Krama.
This is the problem.
I’m hoping one of them steps up and takes a backseat for the betterment of the team
I don’t want to see Krama on the wing (or as the lone striker up top) just because all of our influential senatori want to play.
Looks like Luka Sucic is in the media again for the wrong reasons. Seems that he ignored coaches after victory when players were being greeted as they walk in dressing room and he looked disgruntled.
This doesn’t bother me as long as your not being disruptive, if i wasn’t playing id probably have a hard time hiding my emotions as well. However this is now the second negative story in a few weeks with sucic as during international break there were reports he got into a altercation with one of the players after he supposedly came in harsh with a tackle. I think hell be moving on in the winter break.
Also Dinamo look great however i think stojkovic should be strating ahead of ljubicic. They lack some skill in the middle of the park. jut my two cents.
I think one thing that’s sad is that Dalić did such a great deal out of this story that it unfortunately impacted Luka Sucic’s image outside of the national team. Which really doesn’t sound like this family loyalty he’s preaching lol
I think Dalic’s error in this is that he should have said something like ‘’Luka Sucic is suspended for the September matches’’, instead of letting it seem like and indefinite time of punishment. Sucic was doing good at both Sociedad and the national team!
x.com/HSV/status/1971547300431278526
Hamburg coach just gave an update ahead of Union Berlin Sunday 13:30 EDT
CB Torunarigha still out (Achilles problem)
But what caught Anonymous’ attention is Pherai “will also be absent for private reasons, because sometimes there are things in life that are much more important than football.”
Is he getting married? Baby? Other? Doubt it’s a death/funeral (based on those words)
Recall Dalic made a big point that a club would never allow a player to miss a match during the season for a wedding – but imagine if this absence is due to a marriage!
Then wedding boy Luka Sucic could throw this in Dalic’s face as a precedent/case study to counter his point!
Stay tuned
Das Personal-Update von Merlin #Polzin in der PK: “Es sieht erfreulicherweise echt gut aus. Jordan Torunarigha und Yussi Poulsen haben wir in Absprache mit der medizinischen Abteilung immer weiter belastet. Wir warten aber noch den morgigen Tag ab, ehe wir über die Kader-Nominierungen entscheiden. Silvan Hefti wird uns angeschlagen nicht zur Verfügung stehen. Auch Manu Pherai wird aus privaten Gründen fehlen, denn manchmal gibt es Dinge im Leben, die viel wichtiger sind als Fußball.”
Why isn’t Mišić being shown and love by Dalic? Yet Moro keeps getting the automatic call up for sitting on the bench in Italy.
I was just thinking about this yesterday.
Mišić is a very capable CDM. I haven’t seen much of Moro, but Mišić always does well for Dinamo in European competitions. I also noticed that he avoided the wrath of Boban too. Must mean something.
Moro is younger, and plays in a better league…but only plays every other game. So it’s debatable at least.
The manager at Bologna is making a mistake by favoring Freuler and Lykogiannis over Moro. Bologna’s midfield doesn’t defend well at all, as exposed last night by Aston Villa. Freuler in particular did not look good, yet he played the whole match. Moro isn’t as quick, but he’s definitely more reliable. About Mišić, we’ve seen him play well, yes, but we’ve also seen him make some very poor decisions on the field. Hopefully those are in the past and he’s yet another midfield option in case everyone gets injured. Dalić did once put him on the standby list.
In general, these Dinamo players all looked great against Fenerbahce but gave me the impression that they would have a much harder time against most teams from the top-5 leagues that know how to defend better and actually capitalize on the chances they create, unlike Fener.
Great result but the game highlighted the difference in quality between tier 2 teams ( Dinamo and Fehner) and the favoured teams from England, Spain, etc.
The lack of composure when attacking, with Ljubicic shooting from distance with much better options or others making poor passes that would have led to great chances. This extended to Fener as well in the second half, with a cross from the left that over hit a man wide open in front of goal and then the back door cross hit to a Fener player on Dinamo’s far post where he then hit a crap ball high across the face of goal, not close to any team mate.
And with Bakrar’s great finish for goal 3, the pass to him almost didn’t make it because the ball was mishandled in the build up. Reminded of when Lovro Majer mishandled the ball in the build up to Orsič’s wonder goal against Morocco.
Dinamo will struggle for results against their Spanish and French opponents unless they can tighten up on both ends of the field.
But in the meantime, let’s dance!
To be fair, Ljubičić was our worst player on the pitch.
He probably won’t start anymore, as Dinamo has better options on the bench.
Bennacer will be a massive upgrade there when he’s eligible to play in January.
You’re always going to have a few misplaced passes though. Doesn’t matter who you are.
I thought that Dinamo played a pretty error-free game.
If they play this way against Maccabi and Malmo (their next two games) they could easily find themselves on the verge of clinching their spot in the knockout phase.
Agreed that Dinamo looked impressive, especially their wing attack, Mišič for me was player of the game, though I wouldn’t argue if someone preferred Beljo or Hoxha.
If Dinamo gets victories against their non Western opponents, progression to knockout round looks likely.
@ Ziva
Love the Kovačić teenage reference to being man handled by peak Lukaku, who at that juncture was doing that big CB’s all across Europe.
I am glad the basement is treating you well.
@ Zvima
HNL gives all of our u23 players opportunities to start and play for their clubs. The Dijaspora supplements the rest.
Our pipeline system is set.
Plus you have Luka Modrić spanning three generations and at 40 years young leading us to yet another World Cup!
Baturina assisted Como’s 2nd goal in a 3-0 win over Sassuolo in Coppa Italia. Nice, curling pass into the box from a free kick deep in Sassuolo’s half.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M97iKDM50CE&t=62s
Think he was playing in the No. 10 role. Fotmob says he created the most chances (5) and was the most fouled player in the match (6 times). I got a feeling Como do value Baturina but are taking it really slow and easy with him, which kinda sucks for us Hrvati as this is World Cup year, lol.
Good job by Valincic for Dinamo’s go-ahead goal. From what I can gather, he is strong defensively which is necessary for any fullback worth his salt. Btw, I notice in recent years, we have several young talents coming through who are associated with city/club of Rijeka in some way, Valincic being a Rijecanin… good to see that Kvarner region is actively producing talented footballers.
3-0 Como
Baturina 84′ in the cup today, assist on 2nd goal !
***.youtube.com/watch?v=M97iKDM50CE
1st goal: it was Bati’s pressing that led to a give-away, which lead to the goal. He can still do better on the pressing (faster and stronger), but this is improvement (that he’s doing any pressing)
2nd goal: nice vision and technique on his free kick into the box, which was headed home
He also got a yellow card in the 10′ – a pass into him got intercepted – and believe it or not – he actually started running and tracking back trying to fight for the ball and eventually dragged down the opponent which lead to a free kick but prevented an entry into the box – it was all very rugby-like – but the effort was there
Would love to hear from someone who watched the whole match how he did
But based on highlights and spot check this is MUCH BETTER from Bati
Dalic’s “carrot” (as opposed to “stick”) is working
Good to know he’s putting in all this defensive work… keep it up Bati.
Good to know he’s putting in all this defensive work… keep it up Martin B (changing a word to try to avoid moderation lol).
Wedding boy Sucic unused sub today
Sad
No Erlic in Midtjylland team today
Did he need the day off to plan his 2026 wedding ?
Lol. Don’t know whether it’s true but Fotmob says he’s injured… again.
https://www.fotmob.com/players/616170/martin-erlic
Probably a blessing in disguise.
Increases the chances of a Luka Vuskovic appearance for the National Team.
Goalkeeper Nevestic is a bit of a worry for Dinamo. He is not very good with his feet i.e. passing or kicking the ball up field. He also was not very good on a couple of occasions dealing with crosses into the box opting to punch the ball rather than trying to catch it.
Bruno Goda at LB is getting a lot of praise from the media and the fans for his performance.
Goda was decent, but I wouldn’t put him in Dinamo’s top 5.
He was responsible for Fenerbahce’s equalizing goal, when he headed his corner kick clearance attempt right down the middle (to Szymanski’s feet, who buried it into goal).
The best players were Valinčić, Hoxha, Mišić, McKenna and Beljo.
Beljo with a breakout performance. Great game from him.
Some dumb decisions in the final third from Dinamo but, overall, a really good team performance against an uninspired Fenerbahce side.
Also, instant impact from Cardoso Varela. Only 16 years old and on Barcelona’s radar.
Breakout?
Second goal he looked offside and was a tap-in
First goal he had good knack for hanging in and finding the ball to poke in
Still haven’t seen him actually create a goal for himself – it’s always these tap-in types
Think Kule still has more open play goals this season on less minutes (and more open play goals per 90) so he at least needs to be ahead of Kule (open play goals per 90) to be considered for the NT
The second goal was nowhere near offside. They showed the replay at every single angle. It was a good goal.
I have been critical of the expensive Beljo purchase, but Im glad that he scored those goals and hopefully he scores more.
At the same time, Kulenović had a good game too in limited minutes. He set up that last one… But he was aggressive and got under Skriniar’s skin.
Glad to see that we have three tall young center forwards (Beljo, Kulenović, Matanović) vying for a callup. We need one to become a Budimir replacement down the road.
Moris Valinčić is a very good RB.
Playing great against Fenerbahce right now.
Dalić really should be calling this guy up already.
Valinčić has some great creative skills. He just created the beautiful play for the 2-1 lead.
Wonder if Dalic is tailoring some of the call ups based on individual psychological profile
Eg Valencic needs the “stick” ie can’t call him up too early or he’ll think he made it and start becoming cocky / trying as hard
Vs
Eg Baturina needs the “carrot” ie need to keep calling him up even if he’s not playing for club otherwise he’ll have a breakdown and needs the love to encourage him to keep trying performing
?
Yes
*not trying as hard
As of now, i think baturina will find his place on some squad in Europe over time
I think he’s shown enough ball skills and passing that he’s no ante coric.
I do worry about his motor and toughness. Yet that was a big kovacic problem for a while as many of us remember when lukaku infamously manhandled the teenage kovacic off the ball in wc qualifying 12 years ago. Since then mk has become much tougher so there is hope.
Thinking back to qualifying for wc 2014, and what a nailbiter it was after not qualifying for 2010, it’s tough to believe how well things have gone for Croatia qualifying for every tournament, 2nd wc, 3rd wc, and 3nd nations league
It saddens me to think the odds of us ever experiencing this again are incredibly low and we’ve likely lived out the best moments as nt fans. And what is worse is those moments have arguably cheapened future incredible accomplishments like just making it to a wc quarter final someday.
I even remember how much less energy there was on the bronze medal celebration from qatar whereas we all celebrated that france bronze for 20 years and hung our hat on it
Cheers to the highly unlikely continued success of the Croatia Nation soccer Team, and the magic of the David vs goliath story being told over and over, and over, generation to generation. Nikad ne odustaj, Vjeraj.
After watching the Dinamo match, I’d say Croatia’s footballing future is bright. Beljo, Stojković, Kulenović, Valinčić are all playing pretty amazing. Lisica and Ljubičić are pretty good too (just need to make better decisions). The technical skill of these young Croatian players is impressive. The waiting list for the national team keeps getting longer and longer with up-and-coming players of a high calibre…
The fact that Dinamo has Stojković and Kulenović on the bench, is a testament to how much young talent there is in the HNL.
I counted two Turks in the starting lineup for Fenerbahce, and both were older.
There were 7 Croats starting on Dinamo, and another 7 on the bench. Most of them being young guys too.
I caught a bit of the other games, and saw that Zvezda had only two Serbs in the starting eleven (and both of them old)…Celtic with 3 Scots…PAOK with 3 Greeks…Roma with one Italian (El-Shaarawy)…
Out of all these teams, almost none were young prospects.
This is key for Croatia continuing to produce talent, and why these other nations mentioned are all faltering in football.
Biggest weakness for Bati is lack of Physicality – meaning – ability to protect the ball when he has from defenders to drive forward – and – defensive ability to even enter duels (Nevermind win them)
He only thrives when he is in space and gets the ball and is able to move forward and pass – but forget receiving the ball in tight areas he’s not able to
Why not just go find some foreigners in Zagreb truth? I know you love the mass migration and replacement. Just go find some “new Croatians” who have the toughness you’re looking for
18 y/o CB Leoni (capped by Italy) finally made Liverpool debut y’day in the cup
After 81’ tore his ACL and out for season
Fate
May Bog bless all our players this year with good health and no injuries
Itay losing some players here.
Moise Kean got hurt too.
@Davor — Got it, thanks buddy.
[“You can call up 100 players if you want to as there is not a limit. Only limit is number of players who can dress on day of game.”]