THE SPORTS GROUND: A HISTORIC VICTORY AGAINST MILAN AND A HUGE 11 POINTS IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE -

GNK DINAMO – AC MILAN 2:1 (Baturina 19′, Pjaca 60’/Pušlić 53′)
GNK Dinamo: Nevistić – Theophile, Mmaee, Torrente, Pierre-Gabriel (Jakirović 90’+3′) – Ademi (Rog 70′), Mišić; Stojković (Cordoba 74′), Baturina (Mbuku 90’+3′), Pjaca (Ristovski 70′) – Kulenović
AC Milan: Maignan – Tomori, Gabbia (Terracciano 46′), Pavlović, Hernandez – Fofana, Reijnders (Abraham 82′); Musah, Pulisic, Leao (Okafor 82′) – Morata (Chukwueze 46′)

The stands thundered, applause, chanting, and celebratory shouts from all sides were interwoven in a sound “medley”, because it was – “grandissimo Dinamo” in which the “grande Martin Baturina” shone as well as his equally brilliant teammates, the “grandi compagni di squadra”… In such an atmosphere, with attractive, aggressive, energetic, violent football, with impressive resistance to a strong and big rival, Dinamo recorded one of its most significant victories: in the Champions League, in the match of the last, 8th round of the group stage, the Blues defeated Milan 2:1 with a magnificent performance. And it is almost unbelievable that neither such a big, grandiose victory against a powerful rival nor even the total of 11 (!) points won in the group were at the end enough to pass on.

In an incredible set of circumstances, Dinamo remained the first “below the line”; it missed 24th place by a shade, the last one that led to the competition’s knockout phase. It remained the only team that did not find a corridor to the second round with even 11 points. The movement of the results on the other pitches in the last round did not go to the mill blues. Not a single outcome was unraveled in favor of the people of Zagreb, although only twenty minutes before the end, it seemed that Dinamo was in. The blues at that moment, with the then-current situation on all pitches, were in 23rd place. And had a pass in their pocket…

Even now, Coach Fabio Cannavaro defeated his old rival, the Milan team, with Dinamo’s coat of arms on his chest. The match was exciting, with twists and turns and a “roller-coaster” of emotions… Dinamo started bravely, pressing the opponent’s defense, showing a strong guard, and announcing the hunt for victory.

In the 4th minute, Marko Pjaca, with three fakes along the left sideline, twisted Youssouf Fofana, played a rebound, and sent Baturin wide of the goal from 18 meters. Soon after, Luka Stojković unfurled the defense like a backhoe, broke through the Milan rampart, stayed on his feet, but still did not have enough strength for a quality shot. After that, Raul Torrente launched a long ball. Sandro Kulenović put it away for Pjaca, who turned sharply in front of the goal, and the visiting defenders somehow managed to break into the corner.

The Milanese threatened in the 18th minute. Yunus Musah withdrew the attack on the right wing, and he seemed to stop Ronaël Pierre-Gabriel with a foul. In the continuation of the action, Tijjani Reijnders pulled violently, and Arijan Ademi stopped the ball on its way to the goal with his head.

However, Dinamo’s leading goal followed already in the next action.

Milan’s stopper, Strahinja Pavlović, calmly passed a short ball to the right in a seemingly harmless situation, where it was accepted by his teammate from the heart of the defense, Matteo Gabbia. Still, in the process, he slipped and lost his balance. All this “in a low start” was kibiticated by Baturina, he flew on jet propulsion, grabbed the ball, rushed towards the goalkeeper Mike Maignan and launched from 18 meters through his legs into the goal.

The guests tried to fight back in the 36th minute. Alvaro Morata played a short return, and Fofana sent it just over the goal from 17 meters.

The Blues had one more player from the 39th minute after Musah earned a second yellow card. Stojković deftly accepted a long ball on the left side. With a feint, he found the corridor in the sandwich created by Pavlović and Musah. However, Musah stopped him with both hands in front of the penalty area line and thus received a second yellow card.

During the stoppage time of the first half, Dinamo was within reach of the second goal. Baturina sent Kulenović all alone in front of the opponent’s goalkeeper with a brilliant shot, but the Maksimir center forward torpedoed just wide of the goal from ten meters away.

At the second half’s opening, Baturina launched a counterattack, ran half the field, and played to the right for Stojković, who knocked the ball into the goal… The stands flared up, but they soon calmed down because the referee still indicated that Maksimir Ten touched the ball with his hand at the start of the action.

When it seemed that Dinamo was close to increasing the lead, the net on the other side of the field shook. In the 53rd minute, Christian Pulišić received the ball on the right side and sent it from 12 meters into the near bottom corner to equalize.

Five minutes later, Pjaca shot from the edge of the penalty area, but the ball flew past the goalpost. It was, in fact, an “overture” to a new lead. After great crosses on the left side, in the 60th minute, Pierre-Gabriel found Pjaca, whose filigree hit the opposite lower corner from ten meters away.

Two minutes later, French referee François Letexier awarded a penalty for Milan. Rafael Leao rushed into the penalty area, Ivan Nevistić stepped in front of him, and the referee judged their contact as a penalty kick for the guests. However, the VAR review determined Leao committed a gross foul by entering the penalty area. Samy Mmaee went for the ball simultaneously, and Milan’s winger elbowed him in the head.

At the end of the game, Noah Okafor tried from the left from ten meters to the bottom corner, but the ball went wide.

SOURCE: GNK Dinamo Zagreb