Dinamo's furious European start, the blues outplayed the Turkish giant

Dinamo's football players furiously opened the new European season, the Maksimir fans are celebrating the blue heroes with whom they chanted, sang, paid "homage" long after the match, impressed by the start of the new European season! Dinamo, with a brilliant game, high pressure on the opponent's defense, a great performance in the midfield with several attractive actions and first-touch passes, and of course, with a skillful finish in which Dion Drena Beljo scored two goals, completely outplayed the Turkish giant. In the 1st round of the UEFA Europa League, Dinamo defeated Fenerbahçe 3-1, igniting optimism ahead of the continuation of the competition.

The Blues created a solid defense in front of their own goal, won the battle in the midfield, won the "second balls", and continuously tested the opponent's defense, which played with three players in the defensive line. Beljo skillfully evaded the control of experienced defender Milan Škriniar, one of the best European defenders, with agile movements and clever maneuvers. The lively Arbër Hoxha on the left wing exhausted the experienced Turkish international Çağlar Söyüncü, who was substituted off after less than an hour of play.

Right after such high pressing, Moris Valinčić won the ball at the opponent's goal line in the 16th minute, played it back, Miha Zajc ran onto it and took a shot from 15 meters, but the ball flew over the goal.

In the next minute, Beljo found Dejan Ljubičić with a first-touch pass, who also passed it into the "danger zone" with his first touch, but the guests managed to intercept the ball at the last moment.

But they had no answer in the 21st minute. Mateo Lisica broke through the right side, crossed from the right into the penalty area, followed by a real "pinball" in front of the Turkish goalkeeper. In all that chaos, Beljo, surrounded by a "squadron" of defenders, managed to grab the ball, the guests briefly cleared it, Dinamo's striker then hit the "forest of opponent's legs" in a new attempt, but when the ball rolled back to him for the third time, he managed to place it in the bottom corner next to the goalkeeper's standing leg for the lead of the Blues and an eruption from the stands!

The Turks quickly got back into the game, equalizing less than four minutes later. After a corner kick, Bruno Goda headed the ball out, but Sebastian Szymanski rushed in and volleyed with his left foot from the middle, slightly to the right from 18 meters, torpedoing it into the near corner.

Dinamo was close to taking the lead again at the end of the first half, the omnipresent and skillful Hoxha crossed from the left into the penalty area, targeting Zajac, but the guests managed to clear it at the last moment.

If the ball didn't find its way to the net at the end of the first half, it did at the beginning of the second. Valinčić led the attack of the blues through the middle of the field, weighing the defenders, looking for a shooting position, but a route opened up for him towards the left wing. He played Hoxha who sharply crossed into the penalty area, and there Beljo, falling in front of the goalkeeper, managed to deflect it into the net.

The story was concluded deep into injury time by Mounsef Bakrar after a brilliant play and appealing connections in front of Fenerbahçe's penalty area. The attack was led by the young talent from Maksimir, Cardoso Varela, who had entered the game less than two minutes earlier. He found Luka Stojković, who passed to Sandro Kulenović, who then set up Bakrar, and the Algerian from Maksimir calmly aimed for the opposite bottom corner from the right side for a loud celebration from the stands.

Zagreb, September 24, 2025

UEFA Europa League, Matchday 1

Dinamo - Fenerbahçe 3:1

Stadium Maksimir

Dinamo: Nevistić - Valinčić, Dominguez, McKenna, Goda - Mišić; Lisica (75. Bakrar), Ljubičić (75. Stojković), Zajc (90+3. Varela), Hoxha (90. Villar) - Beljo (75. Kulenović)

Coach: Mario Kovačević

Fenerbahçe: Ederson - Söyüncü (59. Fred), Škriniar, Oosterwolde - Nene (71. Aydin), Semedo, Asensio, Brown - Szymanski (71. Kahveci), En-Nesyri, Aktürkoğlu (83. Tosun)

Coach: Domenico Tedesco

Referee: Jerome Brisard (France), Attendance: 13,926

Scorers: 1:0 Beljo (21.), 1:1 Szymanski (25.), 2:1 Beljo (50.), 3:1 Bakrar (90+5.)