Italian referee Davide Massa has already officiated in the historic triumph of the Blues over Tottenham, and now he will lead the return leg of the third qualifying round of the Champions League in Lithuania.
UEFA announced the referee delegations for the return matches of the third qualifying round of the Champions League on Monday, and for Dinamo fans, the appointment of the main referee for the match in Kaunas certainly brought a smile. The match between Kauno Žalgiris and the Blues from Zagreb, scheduled for Tuesday at 7 PM, will be officiated by Italian Davide Massa, a man who was on the pitch during one of the most glorious European nights in recent club history.
Massa has refereed Dinamo only once, and that was in a match that is still talked about today. It was in March 2021 in the return leg of the Europa League round of 16 at Maksimir. After a 2-0 defeat in London, few believed in advancement, but the Blues, led by Mislav Oršić, who scored a hat-trick, dismantled Tottenham 3-0. The Italian referee handled that match with concentration and without errors, which etched him into the positive memory of Dinamo's supporters.
In addition to club football, the experienced Italian referee is also well acquainted with the Croatian national team. He has officiated four matches of the Vatreni. He led the Nations League match against Portugal that ended 1-1, but also a heavy defeat against the same team with a score of 1-4. His refereeing record with Croatia also includes a 1-2 loss to Wales in the European Championship qualifiers, as well as a 2-1 victory over Denmark in the Nations League.
Massa will be assisted on the pitch by his compatriots Filippo Meli and Alessio Berti. The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology will be handled by Daniele Doveri, while the role of his assistant, the AVAR referee, has been assigned to Manuel Volpi.
Dinamo travels to Lithuania with a massive 5-0 advantage from the first leg played at Maksimir, so advancement to the next qualifying round is practically secured. Still, the presence of a referee with a positive history adds extra calm before the trip on which the Blues only need to confirm their superiority. The club delegation departed from Zagreb towards Kaunas on Monday, as announced on their official social media profiles.
