Five Dinamo goals, an inspired performance by the young Maksimir footballers, powerful attacks, complete control of the game, delightful moves and thunderous applause from the crowd managed to completely overshadow this hot and humid weather and transform it into a pleasant and entertaining football afternoon. Dinamo outplayed Belgian side Brugge 5-1 on the second day of the traditional junior memorial tournament Mladen Ramljak, which means they will face Benfica on Saturday at 17:30, on the final day of group competition, in a direct battle for a place in the final.

A victory would secure Dinamo's place in Sunday's final, and with those three points only pure theory, truly almost impossible in practice, would separate them from the final battle for the trophy. At this moment Benfica has 4 points, while Juventus and Dinamo both have 3 points. The Blues have a goal difference of +3, while the Italians have -4.

Dinamo took the lead against Brugge right at the start of the match, Jona Benkotić in the 2nd minute "lurked from the sideline" for an error by the opponents' defence when building an attack, the goalkeeper played a short pass to his defender, and the Maksimir midfielder reacted like lightning, with high pressing he stole the ball in the penalty area and placed it into the corner for an early lead.

During the goal celebration Benkotić ran across half the pitch and rushed into the embrace of his injured teammate Ivan Jurčić who was watching the match from the sideline. Jurčić had seriously injured his cruciate ligaments the day before in the match against Juventus and faces a long recovery.

This action was also a litmus test for Dinamo's overall performance, the players of coach Milan Badelj played energetically, extremely motivated and aggressively, roughly as furiously as they looked in one part of the match against Juventus the day before when they pressed the defence, scored two goals, hit the crossbar and created three more big chances in which a brilliant visiting goalkeeper stood in their way. And while the match against the Italians still went their way "by a whisker", Dinamo dominated all 80 minutes on the second day of the tournament and convincingly defeated their opponents.

Just eight minutes after the opening goal the Blues doubled their lead. It was an attack from the right side. Fran Kramarić found Luka Radić who after a combination with Kaloyan Bozhkov skilfully controlled the ball and from 18 metres aimed into the net.

Dinamo found the desired corridor again in the 30th minute, this time it was in three moves, goalkeeper Petar Nemet kicked the ball to the right wing, where it was received by Radić, he escaped his marker, and when he reached the danger zone he cleverly played to the left where Roko Ban was positioned. Dinamo's striker skilfully controlled the ball, freed himself from his marker with dribbling and with a clever flick directed it into the goal.

The Blues continued to surge towards the goal, balls flew just past the goalpost, and the Belgian goalkeeper managed to stop a few.

Badelj's young footballers continued at a similar pace in the second half, and in the 48th minute scored their fourth goal. On the right side there was a brilliant reaction from the full-back-winger partnership in which attacker Radić played through defender Kramarić, he ran to the goal line, effectively crossed back to about ten metres where Ban appeared, got his foot to it and became a double goalscorer.

The visitors managed to shake Dinamo's net 10 minutes later, Cedric Broecks sent a through ball, it was received by Matteo Soria who on the left side, at the edge of the penalty area, went around the goalkeeper and sent it diagonally into the goal.

Just three minutes later Dinamo restored their four-goal lead, Radić received the ball near the penalty area, found a position for a shot and precisely placed it for Dinamo's fifth goal, also becoming a double goalscorer.

Double goalscorer Roko Ban was named man of the match. In the other match in this group Benfica defeated Juventus 5-0. On Saturday, the penultimate day of the tournament, the Maksimir footballers will therefore face Benfica at 17:30 and in that match seek passage to the final.

Zagreb, 7 August 2026.

Mladen Ramljak Tournament Group A, Round 2

Dinamo – Brugge 5:1

Maksimir Stadium, Zlatko Cico Kranjčar pitch

Dinamo: Nemet (41. Kovačević) – Kramarić, Radnić (60. Nevjestić), Zirdum (52. Škojc), Žaja (60. Paunović) – Miličić; Radić, Bozhkov (60. Radoš), Benkotić (52. Željković), Horvat (60. Markulin) – Ban (52. Nekić)

Coach: Milan Badelj

Brugge: De Boever (41. Lanckriet) – Balde, Van Duffel (74. Strouwen), Brughmans, Broeckx (60. Gijsels) – Billiet (60. Haesaert), Mukanza (60. Callens); Ferrant (60. Snaet), Troch (74. Mbambi), Mayeye (41. Caes) – Bayiha (50. Soria)

Coach: Siebe Blondelle

Referee: Luka Čališ

Goalscorers: 1:0 Benkotić (2.), 2:0 Radić (10.), 3:0 Ban (30.), 4:0 Ban (48.), 4:1 Soria (58.), 5:1 Radić (61.)