Exactly 10 years earlier, the Blues had faced a similar test against opponents from the immediate vicinity of Transylvania and then – were eliminated. Now they have "descended" into the very heart of Transylvania, to Cluj, and – progressed! Dinamo weathered a match that in its scenario resembled a "horror and thriller genre". After a dramatic 120 minutes of play, Cluj and Dinamo played 2-2 in a duel in which the Maksimir team played from the 50th minute onwards without the sent-off Kevin Theophile. The Zagreb side managed to score a second goal even with a man down and led 2-1 until the very end of referee's added time, after which the hosts managed to find an equalizing goal and took the match to extra time, and then to a penalty shootout.

Dinamo took the lead in Romania, then hit the crossbar twice... As early as the 14th minute, Luka Ivanušec led the Blues' attack, worked himself into a shooting position, the goalkeeper managed to save, but right to Amer Gojak who rushed in and slammed it into the empty net from the rebound.

Towards the end of the first half, Mislav Oršić came down the left flank, shot with his right foot from 14 meters, and the goalkeeper managed to touch the ball which hit the crossbar. Just two minutes later, Lovro Majer delivered a corner kick, and goalkeeper Cristian Balgradean deflected the ball with his hands into – the crossbar.

Livaković, meanwhile, was "warming up" for the penalties as early as the 52nd minute when he saved a penalty taken by Ciprian Deac. Previously, Theophile had "embraced" with his hands the Croatian striker in Cluj's jersey, Gabriel Debeljuh, in his own penalty area, and Portuguese referee Antonio Nobre pointed to the penalty spot while showing – a red card to Dinamo's centre-back.

Livaković brilliantly saved the penalty. Moreover, with a panther-like reaction he also blocked Damjan Đoković's shot as he rushed onto the rebound. However, what the hosts failed to do from the penalty spot, they managed – "from open play". In the 64th minute, Michaël Pereira fired powerfully from 20 meters from the left into the near corner. The ball deflected off someone, deceived Livaković who couldn't get a good grip on it, it slipped from his grasp and nestled in the top corner for 1-1.

A man down, a goal conceded, psychological "pressure" on the opponent's side... All these were details working in the hosts' favor, but the introduction of Bruno Petković and Lirim Kastrati from the bench poured some "fuel into the blue tank". Petković cleverly played through Arijan Ademi in the penalty area in the 78th minute, the Maksimir captain worked himself into a shooting position with a "dummy", the goalkeeper saved, but Kastrati was waiting on the right side and finished into the goal for Dinamo's new lead.

Debeljuh met a brilliant cross from the right wing in the 3rd minute of referee's added time and at full sprint hammered the ball from the edge of the six-yard box. This equalized the score at 2-2 and took the match to extra time, in which the hosts had a man advantage for a full additional 30 minutes.

The decision came in the penalty shootout. When home goalkeeper Balgradean saved Gojak's penalty at the start of the fifth series, it seemed Cluj was at the gates of the next round. But Livaković immediately responded with a brilliant reflex to stop the shot from Catalin Golofca and kept the Blues in the running for progression. In the seventh series, Joško Gvardiol placed the ball right into the corner, clipping the post before still going into the net. Then home defender Kevin Boli sent his penalty over the goal.

Dinamo thus advanced to the 3rd qualifying round of the Champions League. There they were stopped by Ferencvaros, after which the Blues moved to the Europa League play-off and overcame Flora from Tallinn, then signed one of the most successful seasons in history by securing a place in the quarter-finals. At that time, due to the pandemic, opponents in the qualifying rounds of European competitions played only one match against each other, without a return leg.