Dinamo marched victoriously into the new championship season, the Blues dominated Slaven Belupo with an impressive 2:0 performance, hitting the crossbar once and the post twice in the process, successfully beginning their hunt to defend the championship title. And Maksimir's "blue number 9", Dion Drena Beljo, continued in the same furious goalscoring style in the new competitive year. Last year he was the league's top scorer with 31 league goals, and only the second player in HNL history to surpass 30 goals in a season. Now, at the very opening of the league competition, he found the net twice.

However, the visitors threatened first more seriously, as Maksimir goalkeeper Ivan Filipović had to make two saves from powerful shots by Koprivnica players in the 7th minute. First Josip Mitrović tried from the right, then immediately after Ilija Nestorovski played a short pass to the left in the penalty area, and Adetunji Adeshina fired powerfully from 12 metres... On both occasions the Maksimir net-minder reacted brilliantly.

In the 17th minute followed a beautiful Dinamo move from right to left, the entire sequence involving Fran Topić, Dion Drena Beljo and Lukas Kačavenda before the ball reached Arbër Hoxha on the left wing who shot powerfully from an angle. Goalkeeper Karlo Sentić managed to parry the ball.

The Koprivnica net first rippled in the 34th minute, it was a long Dinamo attack down the left side. Matteo Perez Vinlöf skilfully dribbled past the defender, cut back in front of goal, Beljo cleverly received the ball under pressure with his left foot six metres from goal then in the next movement with that same left foot, falling and turning, volleyed into the goal for the lead! It was a gem that earned thunderous applause from the stands.

Only a few minutes passed before another Beljo masterful move. In first-half stoppage time he drove the attack down the left side, approaching the penalty area almost from the touchline, looking for position for a shot and finally from about twenty metres fired powerfully with his left foot into the opposite top corner. The ball hit the crossbar.

It didn't go in at the end of the first half, but it did at the start of the second. Captain Josip Mišić played through Luka Stojković in the 52nd minute, he sent a vertical through ball for Beljo, who alone from 15 metres cleverly found the bottom corner.

Two minutes later Perez Vinlöf also drew applause. He ran almost half the pitch, entered the penalty area, but the ball deflected off a block for a corner at the last moment.

In the 57th minute Dinamo were close to a third goal, but the goalframe intervened. Mišić crossed from the right, and Stjepan Radeljić headed the ball onto the post. Two minutes later another brilliant Blues move unfolded. Stojković after a one-two with Beljo shot first-time from seven metres, but the ball bounced awkwardly at the crucial moment and he sent it over the goal.

Gabriel Vidović played the ball through for Mislav Oršić in the 77th minute, who rushed into a counter-attack down the left wing, cut back low to the "far post" where Mateo Lisica arrived, but goalkeeper Sentić saved the shot.

Four minutes before the end Mišić played a long diagonal to the right for Moris Valincić, he sent it back to Stojković who slipped it through the defence at medium height for Oršić, and he first-time from seven metres on the left hit the opposite post.

Zagreb, 31 July 2026.

SuperSport HNL, Round 1

Dinamo – Slaven Belupo 2:0

Stadion Maksimir

Dinamo: Filipović – Tabinas (58. Valincić), Galešić, Radeljić, Perez Vinlöf – Mišić (90+2. Šunta); Topić (58. Lisica), Stojković, Kačavenda (75. Vidović), Hoxha (75. Oršić) – Beljo

Coach: Mario Kovačević

Slaven Belupo: Sentić – Krušelj, Kovačić (73. Kutleša), Cvetko, Urata (73. Petrović) – Mažar, Crepulja; Mitrović (60. Bošnjak), Adeshina (70. Jonsson), Banovec – Nestorovski (70. Dabro)

Coach: Mario Gregurina

Referee: Antonio Melnjak (Rijeka), Attendance: 6,311

Goalscorers: 1:0 Beljo (34.), 2:0 Beljo (52.)