They Shamelessly Buried Us in the Zagreb Hell
Dinamo took a huge step toward the Champions League playoff with a convincing 5-0 win over Kauno Žalgiris, and the Lithuanian media admit their champions were 'buried' in Zagreb.
Dinamo took a huge step toward the Champions League playoff with a convincing 5-0 win over Kauno Žalgiris, and the Lithuanian media admit their champions were 'buried' in Zagreb.
Dinamo's footballers put on a goal fest at Maksimir last night, thrashing Lithuanian side Kauno Žalgiris 5-0 in the first leg of the Champions League third qualifying round. It was clear by halftime that the return match in Lithuania in a week's time would be a mere formality.
The Blues settled the matter of the winner in just 120 seconds. First, Miha Zajc broke the deadlock in the 32nd minute, and Scott McKenna doubled the lead just a minute later. In the second half, Mateo Lisica (51'), Luka Stojković (76'), and Lukas Kačavenda (90+4') added to the tally for a final score of 5-0.
Lithuanian media did not mince words after their champions' heavy defeat. The portal Delfi wrote that "Dinamo shamelessly buried Kauno Žalgiris's Champions League dream," while LNK added that "Kauno Žalgiris was no match for the Croatian giant" and that "Željko Sopić's team failed to cause an upset. They didn't even seriously threaten Dinamo's goal."
TV3's portal was particularly vivid, stating: "Dinamo crushed the Lithuanian champions and inflicted a painful defeat on them in the Champions League qualifiers," and concluded: "Lesson learned. Kauno Žalgiris burned in the Zagreb hell."
After the convincing victory, a message for fans came from the Dinamo camp. At 11:03 PM, right after the match, a photo appeared on the club's official Twitter profile with the message: "The North sings the city's most beautiful ballad." A few hours later, at exactly 1:02 AM, another post followed: "For those who can't sleep without the traditional night photo," credited to photographer Luka Stanzl.
The return leg is scheduled in seven days in Lithuania, and Dinamo will defend a massive five-goal advantage. Progress to the Champions League playoff seems almost assured.
