Milan Badelj's Maksimir juniors fought back from a three-goal deficit at the opening of the 'Mladen Ramljak' Memorial, but a crossbar in the dying moments of the first half denied them a complete comeback.
Dinamo Zagreb's junior team suffered a defeat in the opening match of the Mladen Ramljak Memorial Tournament. On the 'Zlatko Cico Kranjčar' pitch at Maksimir in Zagreb, in front of around 600 spectators, Juventus emerged victorious with a 3:2 scoreline. The dramatic match, played on Thursday, August 6, 2026, was marked by an early shock for the hosts and a fiery attempt at a comeback.
Juventus, under coach Piero Panzanaro, opened the match fantastically. Within just 28 minutes of play, the 'Old Lady' had built a commanding 3:0 lead. The most prolific player for the Italians was Urbano, who found the back of the net past goalkeeper Nemet in the 9th and 28th minutes. Between his goals, Samb also scored in the 19th minute. Special attention was drawn to Juventus's captain and number 10, Davide Marchisio, the son of the famous Claudio Marchisio, a former player of the Turin club and the Italian national team.
Just when it seemed the winner was decided, Milan Badelj's charges sprang to life. In the 36th minute, the 'blue number nine' Roko Ban broke through the visitors' defense to make it 1:3. Just two minutes later, Karlo Zirdum reacted quickest after a corner and slammed the ball into the net for 2:3. A complete comeback in the dying moments of the first half was nearly achieved by Jona Benkotić. His spectacular long-range effort caught goalkeeper Giaretta off guard, but the ball crashed off the crossbar.
The second half saw a much more cautious and robust game. Dinamo largely dominated possession and pressed in the opponent's half, but they failed to create another clear-cut chance for an equalizer. Despite the nerves in the Juventus ranks, which were evident at the end of the first half, the score remained unchanged until the final whistle of the 80-minute match.
The match was watched by more than 500 people in the temporary stands and along the pitchside barriers. Among the spectators were familiar figures from Croatian football, including Marko Mlinarić, Goran Vlaović, Džemal Mustedanagić, Tomo Šokota, Alberto Capellas, Srđan Lakić, and Jerko Leko.
On the first day of the tournament, in Group A, Club Brugge and Benfica drew 1:1, while in Group B, Hajduk defeated Bologna 2:0, and Ajax beat Athletic Bilbao 2:0. Dinamo will look for their first win on Friday, August 7, in the second round at 7:15 PM against Club Brugge.
