A convincing 5:0 victory over Kauno Žalgiris in the second qualifying round of the Champions League earned 0.250 points and a move from 23rd to 22nd place, distancing Croatia from the 24th position that would mean starting in the first qualifying round of the Champions League.
Croatian club football has made significant progress in the UEFA national coefficient rankings. After Dinamo thrashed Lithuanian side Kauno Žalgiris 5:0 at Maksimir, Croatia leapfrogged Ukraine to claim the 22nd spot. The news was confirmed on Tuesday by the specialized profile Football Meets Data, and every point earned is precious in the fight for better treatment of Croatian clubs in European competitions.
The rise in the rankings was solely due to Dinamo's victory in the second qualifying round of the Champions League, which added 0.250 points to Croatia's tally. This calculation stems from the rule that a point for each win in qualifiers is divided by the number of clubs a country started the European season with. Croatia had four representatives this season: Dinamo, Hajduk, Rijeka, and Varaždin. Although Varaždin has already been eliminated by Czech side Jablonec in the second qualifying round of the Conference League, the divisor remains four.
The particular importance of this jump lies in moving away from the 24th spot on the rankings. That position brings an unenviable scenario where the national champion must start their Champions League journey in the first qualifying round, significantly hampering their chances of reaching the elite competition.
An opportunity to further improve the coefficient comes as early as tomorrow, Thursday. The first legs of the third qualifying round of the Conference League are scheduled for the remaining two Croatian hopefuls.
Hajduk, after being eliminated by Cypriot side Pafos in the Europa League qualifiers, will test their strength against Lithuanian side Žalgiris. The first match will be played away in Vilnius, kicking off at 7 PM. On the other hand, Rijeka will host Finnish side Ilves at Rujevica. Rijeka secured their place in the third qualifying round with two narrow 1:0 victories over Derry City from Northern Ireland, and their clash is scheduled for 8:45 PM.
While the European points are being tallied, Dinamo is turning its attention to a traditional tournament. The club announced via their official Twitter profile that Ramljak26 begins on Thursday. The tournament will be opened in the morning by Ajax and Athletic Bilbao, while the "Blues" will take to the pitch at 7:15 PM, facing Turin's Juventus. Admission to all matches is free, and broadcasts are available exclusively on the Dinamo Plus platform.
On the same social network, Dinamo also shared the atmosphere from Maksimir late at night, posting a photo with the caption: "The North sings the city its most beautiful ballad," credited to Luka Stanzl.
The UEFA rankings also brought changes in the lower part of the table. Northern Ireland climbed to 50th place, while Georgia took the 51st spot after a draw between Larne and Iberia. At the very bottom, Luxembourg will finish the season in 52nd place.
