Italian referee Davide Massa officiated one of the biggest wins in the club's history, and he will now take charge of the Champions League third qualifying round return leg against Kauno Žalgiris.
Dinamo's footballers play the return leg of the Champions League third qualifying round against Lithuanian side Kauno Žalgiris on Tuesday, August 11, at 7 PM, and UEFA has appointed Italian Davide Massa as the main referee for the match. The Zagreb club travels to Kaunas with a massive 5-0 advantage from the first leg at Maksimir, but the officiating crew stirs special emotions among the fans.
Massa has refereed Dinamo only once so far, but it was a match that is still talked about today. In March 2021, he was the main official for the Europa League Round of 16 return leg against Tottenham, when the Blues celebrated a 3-0 victory at Maksimir, overturning the deficit from London. The hero of that evening was Mislav Oršić, who scored all three goals, and Massa handled the match without major complaints.
Besides Dinamo, the experienced Italian referee has also officiated the Croatian national team four times. Particularly notable are two matches against Portugal in the Nations League, the first ended 1-1, while in the second, Portugal won convincingly 4-1. Massa also refereed Croatia's 2-1 defeat to Wales in European Championship qualifiers and the 2-1 victory over Denmark in the Nations League.
In Kaunas, Massa will be assisted by his compatriots Filippo Meli and Alessio Berti as assistant referees. The fourth official will be Manuel Volpi, who will also serve as the AVAR, while Daniele Doveri will oversee everything in the VAR room.
Immediately upon returning from Lithuania, Dinamo will host NK Rudeš at Maksimir on Friday, August 14, at 8 PM, in the 3rd round of the SuperSport HNL. The club has invited fans via social media with the message: "Home at home - you at Maksimir! 💙"
Tickets for that match will be sold exclusively online. The presale for club members started on Monday, August 10, at 11 AM and lasted until 11:59 PM. General sale begins on Tuesday, August 11, at 11 AM and runs until Friday at 8:45 PM. Ticket prices for the West lower tier are €15 for members and €20 for other fans, while the North lower tier is available exclusively to members at €7. Season ticket holders can transfer their seats via the official service until Friday at 12 PM.
