ZAGREB, Croatia: Mislav Oršić must wish he could play English teams every week.
The Croatia forward ran from the halfway line and produced a deft finish in the 13th minute to lead Dinamo Zagreb to a surprising 1-0 win over Chelsea in their opening Group E match in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Add that goal to the winner Oršić scored against West Ham in the Europa League last season and the hat trick he got to eliminate Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham in the Europa League in the 2020-21 season.
It marked a memorable start by Dinamo to their first group-stage campaign in Europe’s top competition since 2019-20, having got to this point by coming through three qualifying rounds.
As for Chelsea, it was the latest disappointing result in an unconvincing start to the season for a club that spent nearly $300 million on refreshing their squad in the summer transfer window.
The two-time European champions dominated the match in the Croatian capital but were let down by poor finishing, which dovetailed with scrambling defense and some great saves by Dominik Livaković for the hosts.
In the second half, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang — making his debut for Chelsea after a deadline-day move from Barcelona and wearing a mask to protect his injured cheek — had a goal disallowed for a narrow offside against Ben Chilwell in the build-up.
Then, in a frantic finish, Reece James smashed a shot against the post before Livaković made a stunning double stop to deny Mason Mount then Hakim Ziyech.
Ultimately, the smash-and-grab win was earned thanks to the early goal by Oršić, who met a headed flick-on by Bruno Petković in midfield by chesting the ball forward inside his own half past Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana and racing clear of the newly signed French defender toward goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.
As he approached Kepa, Oršić lifted the ball over the keeper and it bobbled into the net.
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Oršić goal earns Dinamo Zagreb surprising win over Chelsea
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Oršić goal earns Dinamo Zagreb surprising win over Chelsea
- It marked a memorable start by Dinamo to their first group-stage campaign in Europe’s top competition
- As for Chelsea, it was the latest disappointing result in an unconvincing start to the season
Liverpool’s Wirtz will score many more after Wolves winner, says Slot
- Liverpool signed Florian Wirtz in June for a reported fee of £100 million, with a further £16 million in potential bonuses
- The 22-year-old had failed to find the net in more than 20 appearances for Liverpool before scoring the winner in Saturday’s match
Florian Wirtz is beginning to find his feet at Liverpool and will keep getting better, manager Arne Slot said after the German midfielder scored his first goal for the Premier League champions in their 2-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Liverpool signed Wirtz in June for a reported fee of 100 million pounds ($135 million), with a further 16 million pounds in potential bonuses.
The 22-year-old had failed to find the net in more than 20 appearances for Liverpool before scoring the winner in Saturday’s match, and Slot said his performances had been undervalued due to football’s obsession with statistics.
“I’m quite sure it was a relief for him. This I could see after his reaction after he scored the goal – and the same I saw with his teammates. I think they were really happy for him,” Slot told reporters.
“In football – rightly so, maybe – we mainly get judged on results, and individuals mainly get judged on goals and assists. Sometimes we tend to forget what else there is to do during a game.”
The Dutch manager called on Wirtz to keep going after ending his drought.
“He’s had multiple good games for us but I also feel he gets better and better every single game he is playing for us. He gets fitter and fitter and was getting closer and closer to his first goal,” he added.
“Then it was not a surprise to me that he scored one today, but he would probably be the first one to understand that one goal is not enough.
“He will score many more goals for us than only this one, but I also liked his performance during large parts of the game today. I think he was special in a lot of moments.”
Liverpool, fourth in the standings, next host 16th-placed Leeds United in a league match on January 1.
Liverpool signed Wirtz in June for a reported fee of 100 million pounds ($135 million), with a further 16 million pounds in potential bonuses.
The 22-year-old had failed to find the net in more than 20 appearances for Liverpool before scoring the winner in Saturday’s match, and Slot said his performances had been undervalued due to football’s obsession with statistics.
“I’m quite sure it was a relief for him. This I could see after his reaction after he scored the goal – and the same I saw with his teammates. I think they were really happy for him,” Slot told reporters.
“In football – rightly so, maybe – we mainly get judged on results, and individuals mainly get judged on goals and assists. Sometimes we tend to forget what else there is to do during a game.”
The Dutch manager called on Wirtz to keep going after ending his drought.
“He’s had multiple good games for us but I also feel he gets better and better every single game he is playing for us. He gets fitter and fitter and was getting closer and closer to his first goal,” he added.
“Then it was not a surprise to me that he scored one today, but he would probably be the first one to understand that one goal is not enough.
“He will score many more goals for us than only this one, but I also liked his performance during large parts of the game today. I think he was special in a lot of moments.”
Liverpool, fourth in the standings, next host 16th-placed Leeds United in a league match on January 1.
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