In the third round of the Europa League, Dinamo lost 2-4 to NEC Nijmegen at the Maksimir stadium. This marked the Croatian champions' first defeat in this season's European competition, while the Dutch side recorded their first victory.
Following an away "nil" against Hapoel and a dramatic last-second win over Anderlecht, Dinamo suffered an uncomfortable defeat to the Dutch NEC. A win against the visitors from Nijmegen would have allowed the "Blues" to take a significant step towards qualification for the second round, but the defeat has complicated their prospects.
The visitors took the lead in the 25th minute. After a brilliant through ball, Tobias Storm raced down the right flank and crossed to the centre for Clement Bischoff, who fired into the near corner to make it 1-0. Dinamo equalised eight minutes later – Perez Vinlof crossed from the left into the penalty area where he found Dion Drena Beljo, who headed home to bring the "Blues" back into the game. Two minutes later, Luka Ivanušec scored to give Dinamo the lead, but the goal was subsequently disallowed due to Beljo being offside at the start of the move. The hosts turned the game in the 37th minute after a quick counter-attack – Stojković played through Beljo, who scored his second goal of the match. In the dying moments of the first half, NEC levelled; Bischoff broke down the flank and crossed in front of the goal for Linssen, who headed home to make it 2-2.
The Dutch side regained the lead in the 55th minute. Linssen crossed in front of the goal, and Chery struck for 3-2. NEC moved a step closer to victory in the 80th minute after Chery scored with a beautiful strike to make it 4-2. Darko Nejašmić, a former player for Osijek and Hajduk, played the entire match for the visitors.
NEC opened their Europa League campaign with an away defeat to Juventus (0-5), then drew 1-1 with Levski Sofia in front of their own fans, and recorded their first win against Dinamo. In the fourth round, Dinamo will visit English side Sunderland on 5 November, who have collected seven points in the first three rounds. Sunderland beat AZ 1-0 at home in the first round, then won 2-1 away at Portuguese side Torrense, and drew 1-1 with Lech Poznan tonight.
Mario Kovačević made one change compared to the second-round match against Anderlecht. Scottish defender Scott McKenna started in place of Stjepan Radeljić. Dani Rodriguez and Mislav Oršić, despite excellent performances in Koprivnica against Slaven, remained on the bench. Spaniard Almena started on the right wing, while Hoxha was assigned to the left attacking side. NEC arrived in Zagreb with a run of eight matches without a win, having recorded five draws and three defeats. "We do not feel we are in a crisis," Dick Schreuder stated before the match.
Dinamo started the match well, and Beljo had a good chance in the third minute, but his shot from the edge of the penalty area was saved by Crettaz. Beljo shot again in the eighth minute, this time the defence blocked his effort. In the 19th minute, Stojković had a brilliant opportunity; after a pass from Almena, he was one-on-one with the goalkeeper and chipped him nicely, but Kaplan saved from the goal line. The visitors had their first chance in the 21st minute when Lebreton shot from distance and hit the crossbar. In the 62nd minute, Kotarski played a long ball to Stojković, who attempted to lob Crettaz, but lacked precision in his shot. In the 65th minute, Stojković threatened again with a shot from 25 metres, but the visiting goalkeeper had an easy job.
Kovačević attempted to change the rhythm of the game with numerous substitutions; Rodriguez, Oršić and Valinčić came on, followed later by Goda and Kačavenda, while Almena, Galešić, Hoxha, Vinlof and Ivanušec were replaced. In the 72nd minute, Mišić shot well, but Crettaz saved, and the Argentine goalkeeper then also stopped Ivanušec's rebound. In the 80th minute, Chery's second goal brought the visitors a step closer to victory – he received the deflected ball at 16 metres and struck it beautifully into the top corner of the Dinamo net. Oršić tried to restore hope for the "Blues" with a free kick in the 85th minute, but the visiting goalkeeper saved again. Kačavenda threatened shortly after him, but failed to target the opposite corner. In the 87th minute, Chery could have completed a hat-trick, shooting just wide of the post.
DINAMO – NEC 2-4. Zagreb, Stadion Maksimir. Referee: Manfredas Lukjančukas (Lithuania). Scorers: 0-1 Bischoff (25), 1-1 Beljo (33), 2-1 Beljo (37), 2-2 Linssen (45), 2-3 Chery (55), 2-4 Chery (80). Yellow cards: Beljo / Lebreton, Bischoff. DINAMO: Kotarski – Galešić (67. Valinčić), Dominguez, McKenna, Perez Vinlof (76. Goda) – Stojković, Mišić, Ivanušec (67. Kačavenda) – Almena (57. Rodriguez), Beljo, Hoxha (67. Oršić). NEC Nijmegen: Crettaz – Fonville (81. Kers), Storm, Schuurs (81. Braas) – Geiger (76. Monteiro), Lebreton, Nejašmić, Kaplan – Chery (90. Sierhuis), Linssen (90. Willumsson), Bischoff.
Dinamo and NEC Nijmegen played the third round match of the UEFA Europa League at the Maksimir stadium on Thursday, 22 October 2026. After a draw against Hapoel Beer Sheva in the first round and a win over Anderlecht in the second, the Blues recorded their first defeat in European competition this season. The Dutch team won 4-2, although Dinamo managed to overturn the visitors' initial lead with two quick goals in the first half and briefly took the lead. The scorer of both goals for Dinamo was Dion Drena Beljo, who struck the NEC net in the 33rd and 37th minutes. The visitors had previously taken the lead with a goal from Clement Bischoff in the 25th minute, and Bryan Linssen equalised just before the break. Linssen scored his second goal of the match in the 54th minute, again putting the Dutch team in the lead. Tjaronn Chery set the final 4-2 scoreline for NEC in the 80th minute, leaving Dinamo without points at home.
Dinamo's matches in the league phase of the UEFA Europa League in the 2026/2027 season: 1st round, 16 September (21:00): Hapoel Beer Sheva – Dinamo 0-0; 2nd round, 15 October (21:00): Dinamo – Anderlecht 1-0; 3rd round, 22 October (18:45): Dinamo – NEC Nijmegen; 4th round, 5 November (21:00): Sunderland – Dinamo; 5th round, 26 November (18:45): Dinamo – Bayer Leverkusen; 6th round, 10 December (18:45): Rennes – Dinamo; 7th round, 21 January (21:00): AZ Alkmaar – Dinamo; 8th round, 28 January (21:00): Dinamo – Sturm.
