Dinamo defeated Slaven Belupo 2:0 in the opening match of the new HNL season, with both goals scored by Dion Drena Beljo. Coach Mario Kovačević didn't hide his satisfaction with his striker's form, and also commented on new signing Smail Prevljak.
Dinamo started their title defense in the Croatian championship convincingly. In the first round of the new SuperSport HNL season, they defeated Slaven Belupo 2:0 in front of a packed Maksimir stadium. The hero of the match was Dion Drena Beljo, who found the back of the net in the 34th and 52nd minutes. The match was broadcast live on MAXSport 1, with referee Antonio Melnjak officiating.
According to statistics provided by Telegram, Beljo wasn't just a scorer but also the most dominant figure on the pitch. In addition to his two goals, he took seven shots on goal against Sentić, created one big chance, and won nine of thirteen duels. SofaScore unsurprisingly named him the player of the match with a high rating of 9.3 out of 10.
This performance is a continuation of his scoring streak from last season, where he scored 31 goals and added five assists in 36 league appearances. During that campaign, he also broke Marko Livaja's record for the most goals in a single Liga 10 season and became the first player in HNL history to score a hat-trick in two consecutive matches, against Slaven Belupo and Lokomotiva.
Dinamo entered this match with the following lineup: Filipović, Tabinas, Galešić, Radeljić, Vinlöf, Kačavenda, Mišić, Stojković, Topić, Beljo, Hoxha. Slaven Belupo, on the other hand, fielded: Sentić, Krušelj, Kovačić, Cvetko, Urata, Adeshina, Crepulja, Mitrović, Mažar, Banovec, Nestorovski.
Coach Mario Kovačević didn't hold back in praising his striker after the match. As reported by Sportske novosti, he was particularly impressed by the first goal.
"Let him keep scoring. The first goal was especially beautiful, with excellent control and finish. He's working hard and it's paying off; as we grow, it will become easier for him. He also did a lot of other things we ask of him in this match, which pleases me, and I hope he maintains this scoring consistency. I'm sure he'll continue like this," Kovačević told Sportske novosti.
He also commented on the fact that Beljo played the full match: "He hasn't played an official match in a long time. One move is all it takes for him, we all know he has that. He played the entire match; we couldn't make all the substitutions, and there will be enough time for everyone to rest for the most important match ahead."
What further delighted Dinamo fans was the news about the status of new signing Smail Prevljak. Kovačević confirmed that the striker, who had his first training session with the team on Thursday, is available for selection, albeit with some caution. "He arrived on Thursday and had his first training session. He's in good shape, he'll be in contention for the match, and he can help us in the second half if needed," Kovačević said for Sportske novosti.
Dinamo has another important match in just four days, this time in the Champions League qualifiers against Žalgiris, led by former Croatian international and someone familiar with Maksimir, Željko Sopić. "We've watched their last match. There are no easy opponents; Sopić knows us well, he's doing a good job with them, and they'll surely come to Maksimir with great determination and desire to achieve something even more. We believe in ourselves, we've started the season well, and I know we'll grow from match to match," concluded the Modri strategist for Sportske novosti.
It's worth recalling that before this match, Dinamo had dramatically won their Champions League qualifier against Swiss side Thun 3:2, or 4:3 on aggregate, with a goal from Moris Valinčić in the 112th minute.
