Dinamo coach Mario Kovačević came under pressure after the shameful performance against Thun, but insists that advancing to the Champions League third qualifying round is the only thing worth commenting on.
Dinamo played one of those matches at Maksimir against Swiss side Thun that fans won't soon forget, in both a positive and negative sense. The Blues were trailing 0-2 on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, on the verge of elimination from the Champions League, before staging a comeback and winning 3-2 in extra time. The final aggregate score was 4-3. However, the poor start and chaotic play raised questions about how ready the team is for the new season.
At a press conference on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, a journalist asked coach Mario Kovačević a question that also bothers fans: "This situation was salvaged, but maybe the next one won't be if we enter the match like this?" Additionally, he asked about the players' attitude of "we'll manage it easily," which suggested an overly relaxed approach.
Kovačević did not accept that narrative. Speaking to Index.hr, he said he believes the problem was not relaxation, but something quite the opposite. "Maybe, and maybe you're mistaken. Maybe we entered too tense and then errors occur. They don't happen only when you enter a match loosely," he said.
He added that credit should be given to the opponent and a realistic view of the situation is needed. "I keep saying, they are champions of Switzerland, and the Swiss league is by all indicators better than ours. We weren't ready. We made a mistake in the first situation, I think captain Mišić. The ball was lost, and they have the quality to punish you."
The coach nevertheless tried to shift the focus from the disastrous first half to what followed. "It was much harder, but football is played for 90 minutes, that's the most important thing. In the end, only the result counts. We are not happy or satisfied with such an entry, but we are glad we managed to turn the match around. In my opinion, that's what we should talk about, not other things," he concluded on that topic.
The club posted on its Twitter profile late on the night after the match with the message: "...so you remember forever who Dinamo is and where the city of Zagreb is!"
Despite the big comeback, analysts warn that Dinamo is worryingly unprepared. Telegram writes that Thun's starting lineup was three times cheaper, and that until Marco Bürki's red card, Dinamo looked like a team incapable of turning the match around.
Squad issues are becoming more vocal. Dominik Livaković has not yet resolved his status, so Ivan Filipović is in goal. At left back is Bruno Goda, whose contribution, according to analyses, is sufficient for the HNL but not for Europe. Gabriel Vidović was again given a chance in midfield, but against Thun he played 58 minutes without a single shot, dribble, or big chance created.
Mislav Oršić, from whom a solution to the creativity problem in the final third was expected, also did not shine. Injuries trouble Dani Rodríguez and Aleks Stojaković, while Smail Prevljak alongside Dion Drena Beljo is the only available striker.
Telegram reminds that Dinamo won 86 points in the HNL last season, but according to the expected points model (xPoints), they should have had 14 fewer. Second-placed Hajduk, by the same model, had only two expected points fewer, suggesting that the Blues have long been living on the edge.
In the Champions League third qualifying round, Dinamo will face the winner of the tie between KÍ Klaksvík from the Faroe Islands and Lithuanian side Kauno Žalgiris. Although both teams are weaker on paper than Thun, analysts say that the management led by Zvonimir Boban will have to urgently sort out the squad, otherwise the pressure on Kovačević could return in full force.
