In an open and entertaining match full of swings in the scoreline, it was the Dutch players who ultimately celebrated. In Matchday 3 of the Europa League, NEC Nijmegen beat Dinamo 4-2 on the Maksimir pitch in a contest in which the visitors took the lead, the Zagreb side turned the score around in their favour, and the Dutch side then took control of the match again in the second half and claimed the win.

Dinamo threatened as early as the 3rd minute, when Dion Drena Beljo shook off his marker with a neat turn and skilful dribbling, then shot low from 17 metres, but the effort was not strong enough. Soon afterwards, Iker Almena sent a ball in behind on the right, Luka Stojković raced onto it, got there before the goalkeeper and managed to lob him, but centre-back Ahmetcan Kaplan cleared the ball with a leap right on the goal line.

Sparks first flew in front of Dinamo's goal in the 22nd minute, when Noe Lebreton struck powerfully with his right foot from the left, from some twenty metres, and the ball grazed the crossbar... Three minutes later, though, the visitors did break the deadlock. Captain Perr Schuurs launched a long, direct ball from deep in his own half to the right wing, where Tobias Storm sprinted onto it at full pace and curled it towards the far post. The ball flew across the six-yard box, Clement Bischoff was waiting for it and slammed it into the net.

Stojković led a counterattack down the right in the 31st minute and played the ball left to Beljo, who was one-on-one with the goalkeeper but failed to control the ball properly. Two minutes later, Stojković again started the move, but this time with a successful finish. On the left, at the edge of the penalty area, he played a brilliant turn and sent a pinpoint pass through the opposition defence. Matteo Perez Vinlöf ran onto it and whipped a high cross to the far post, where Beljo stooped and headed the ball low into the net.

It seemed that Dinamo had taken the lead two minutes later, but just as Maksimir erupted in celebration, thinking it was a goal, a VAR check calmed the passions by showing it was offside. Beljo received the ball on the right, held off his marker and played a short, direct pass to Niko Galešić, who passed it back from six metres, and Luka Ivanušec slammed it into the net. It was a superb move, but the "anticlimax" soon followed, as the VAR check showed that Beljo had been offside at the start of the move.

However, VAR could do nothing in the next attack, when Dinamo scored again. This time the Blues really did take the lead. Ivanušec played a through ball for Stojković that split the entire defence, and he managed to pass between two defenders to the right, where Beljo was waiting. The ball took a deflection off the visiting centre-back, and Dinamo's centre-forward picked it up at the far post. Goalkeeper Gonzalo Crettaz managed to save the first shot, but the ball fell to Beljo again, and he walked it into the goal.

In the final minute of the first half, the visitors levelled the score. Bischoff crossed from the left, and Bryan Linssen managed to head the ball into the top corner with a spectacular diving effort. In the very next move, Linssen latched onto a long ball, knocking Sergi Dominguez off balance, broke through one-on-one with goalkeeper Dominik Kotarski and sent the ball wide of the goal.

The visitors started the second half with energy, pressing Dinamo's defence, and the ball spent most of its time near the home side's penalty area. It was from this platform that NEC's leading goal came in the 54th minute. Linssen crossed from the left, Tjaronn Chery swung at the ball and did not touch it, but that was enough to fool the goalkeeper, and the ball dropped into the opposite corner.

In the 61st minute, Beljo played into the penalty area for Ivanušec, who was between two defenders at the top of the six-yard box, but the visiting pair got the ball away at the last moment.

In the next attack, Kotarski sent a long ball into the opposition half, Stojković got away from the defence and lobbed the goalkeeper, but the ball flew just past the post.

The Blues kept hunting for an equaliser. In the 72nd minute, Dani Rodriguez withstood the challenges of three markers on the right and passed to Josip Mišić, who shot for the near corner. The goalkeeper made a somewhat awkward save, then immediately gathered Stojković's follow-up attempt from close range as well.

The visitors sealed the story with another goal in the 80th minute. It was a long attack: after a cross from the right, Scott McKenna headed the ball clear, Chery collected it 15 metres out and, with a curling left-footed strike, found the opposite top corner.

Rodriguez tried again in the 83rd minute, striking powerfully towards the near top corner, but the goalkeeper managed to turn it behind for a corner.

Zagreb, 22 October 2026

UEFA Europa League, Matchday 3

Dinamo – NEC Nijmegen 2-4

Maksimir Stadium

Dinamo: Kotarski – Galešić (67 Valinčić), Dominguez, McKenna, Perez Vinlöf (76 Goda) – Mišić; Almena (59 Rodriguez), Stojković, Ivanušec (76 Kačavenda), Hoxha (67 Oršić) – Beljo

Coach: Mario Kovačević

NEC Nijmegen: Crettaz – Schuurs (81 Bras), Kaplan, Fonville (81 Kers) – Storm, Nejašmić, Geiger (76 Monteiro), Bischoff; Chery (90 Willumsson), Lebreton (90 Sierhuis) – Lenssen

Coach: Dick Schreuder

Referee: Manfredas Lukjančukas (Lithuania), Attendance: 12,260

Scorers: 0-1 Bischoff (25), 1-1 Beljo (33), 2-1 Beljo (37), 2-2 Linssen (45), 2-3 Linssen (54), 2-4 Chery (80)