Dinamo eliminates Thun from the Champions League after a great comeback and extra time
Dinamo Zagreb secured a place in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League after a dramatic evening at Maksimir Stadium. The Zagreb side defeated Swiss club Thun 3:2 after extra time and advanced 4:3 on aggregate after the first match in Switzerland had ended 1:1. The visitors took a 2:0 lead in the return leg through goals from Brighton Labeau and Marco Bürki and, for almost an hour, were in a position that would have taken them into the next round. However, the match changed completely after Bürki was sent off in the 67th minute, following confirmation by a VAR review. Dion Drena Beljo and Lukas Kačavenda brought Dinamo back into the game, while Moris Valinčić completed one of the Zagreb club's most memorable European comebacks in recent seasons with a powerful strike in the 112th minute.
The victory allowed Dinamo to continue competing on the champions path, but it also served as a warning of how unpredictable qualifying ties can be. Thun showed in both matches that they could compete on equal terms with the favoured opponent, and at Maksimir they punished mistakes by the home defence early before defending their acquired advantage for a long time. Dinamo, on the other hand, only secured progression after expending a great deal of energy, making a series of substitutions and applying almost constant pressure in the closing stages. According to Dinamo's official chronology, the decisive goal arrived eight minutes before the end of the second period of extra time, at a moment when it already seemed that the tie might be decided by a penalty shootout.
Thun shocked Maksimir in the opening 22 minutes
The return leg began in the worst possible way for the home side. As early as the fourth minute, Thun took advantage of practically their first serious arrival in front of Dinamo's goal. According to the Swiss club's report, Nassim Zoukit sent a low ball from the left towards the far post, where Brighton Labeau made a timely run and scored for 0:1. The Thun forward thus found the net against Dinamo for the second consecutive match, having also scored in the first encounter played in Thun on 21 July. The early goal changed the psychological framework of the match: Dinamo had to attack, while the visitors were given space for transitions and the opportunity to defend the result with a disciplined block.
Coach Mario Kovačević's team attempted to respond quickly, and Miha Zajc fired over the goal from a promising position in the ninth minute. Thun nevertheless did not retreat completely in front of their own penalty area. The visitors continued to move forward whenever they won the ball, and Nils Reichmuth threatened with a long-range shot in the 20th minute. Only two minutes later, the Swiss champions doubled their lead. Fabio Fehr delivered a free kick over Dinamo's defence, and Marco Bürki headed the ball towards the opposite post and scored for 0:2.
That score meant that Thun led 3:1 on aggregate. Dinamo then took control of most of the possession, but in the first half they struggled to find space between the visitors' well-positioned lines. The Swiss team defended compactly, closed off the middle and forced the home players into crosses and shots from less favourable positions. According to Thun's club report, one of Dinamo's better chances before the break came after a corner in the 42nd minute, but the headed attempt went over the goal. The teams went into half-time with the visitors leading 2:0 and the hosts facing an extremely difficult task.
Substitutions increased the pressure, while the red card changed the balance of power
At the beginning of the second half, Kovačević reacted by introducing Matteo Perez Vinlöf in place of Bruno Goda, and in the 58th minute he made three more changes. Arbër Hoxha replaced Mislav Oršić, Fran Topić came on for Mateo Lisica, while Lukas Kačavenda took the place of Gabriel Vidović. The official chronology of the match shows that it was precisely the players from the bench who gave an important boost to Dinamo's attack. The home team raised the tempo, began winning second balls closer to the visitors' penalty area and increasingly forced Thun into deep defending.
The key moment occurred between the 66th and 67th minutes. Marco Bürki was initially shown a yellow card, but referee Radoslav Gidzhenov of Bulgaria reviewed the incident again following VAR intervention and changed the decision to a straight red card. According to FC Thun's report, after the review the foul was judged to have denied an obvious goalscoring opportunity. In its statement, the Swiss club expressed dissatisfaction with the development of the move that preceded the foul, linking it to a situation in which the ball had previously been put out of play because of an injured player. Regardless of the differing interpretations of the circumstances, the official decision left Thun with ten men for more than 50 minutes, including extra time.
After the sending-off, Dinamo gained even greater territorial superiority. Thun coach Gian-Luca Privitelli reacted immediately and, in the 68th minute, introduced defender Nicolas Bürgy in place of Labeau, the scorer of the opening goal. That substitution clearly showed that the visitors would try to preserve their advantage with a solid defensive structure. Dinamo, however, increased the number of players in the final third, accelerated the circulation of the ball and attacked down both flanks. The pressure finally produced a result in the 74th minute, when Dion Drena Beljo rose above his marker after a cross from the right and headed the ball in to reduce the deficit to 1:2.
Kačavenda quickly equalised, while Thun held out until extra time
Beljo's goal completely lifted the atmosphere at Maksimir, and Thun entered the most difficult period of the match. Only four minutes later, in the 78th minute, Dinamo equalised. Following a corner, the ball reached Lukas Kačavenda, who scored for 2:2 and wiped out the advantage the visitors had built from the beginning of the encounter. Kačavenda's introduction proved to be one of Kovačević's decisive decisions because the midfielder brought additional mobility between the lines, aggression in his runs towards goal and, ultimately, the goal that secured extra time.
In the closing stages of regulation time, the hosts tried to complete the comeback before the 90th minute. FC Thun states that one Dinamo shot struck the post in the 84th minute, while goalkeeper Niklas Steffen, with the help of his defence, withstood the remainder of the intense pressure. The visitors defended with many players inside their own penalty area, trying to close down space for Beljo and prevent cut-backs towards the midfielders. Despite being a player down, Thun maintained the 2:2 score until the end of regulation time, making the aggregate score after 180 minutes 3:3.
The figures confirm the extent to which Dinamo dominated the ball and the volume of attacks. According to ESPN statistics, the Zagreb team had 76 percent possession, attempted 29 shots and took 14 corners, while Thun finished the match with eight attempts and one corner. Dinamo completed 618 passes with an accuracy rate of 88 percent, while the visitors completed 134 at 58 percent. Nevertheless, the statistical superiority did not guarantee progression for a long time because Thun scored two goals from three shots on target, while goalkeeper Steffen made four saves. Such a distribution of data aptly describes a match in which Dinamo controlled most of the play but, because of early defensive mistakes, were forced to save their season in extra time.
Valinčić's strike decided the tie in the 112th minute
Dinamo continued to attack in extra time, but Thun showed that they had not completely abandoned their attempt to surprise the hosts. The Swiss team occasionally launched counterattacks and looked for opportunities from set pieces or opponents' mistakes, while Dinamo had to balance their attacking needs with caution. At the beginning of extra time, Kovačević introduced Niko Galešić in place of Sergio Domínguez, refreshing the last line. As the closing stages approached, there was increasingly less room for patient build-up and increasingly more attempts from the second line and crosses into the penalty area.
According to Thun's report, Steffen reacted superbly once again in the 111th minute and tipped a powerful shot over the crossbar. One minute later, he could no longer stop Moris Valinčić. Dinamo's right-back found space on the edge of the penalty area and struck powerfully for 3:2, prompting huge celebrations among the home players and supporters. It was the goal that settled the tie and established the final aggregate score of 4:3.
Valinčić's moment carries additional symbolism because he is a player who spent part of his development in Dinamo's academy and returned to the club in June 2025 after a spell with Istra 1961. When he signed, Dinamo presented him as reinforcement for the right side of defence, but against Thun he decided a European tie with a strike more commonly expected from a forward or an attacking midfielder. His goal was not only an attractive conclusion to the move, but also a reward for the constant involvement of the full-backs in attack after the visitors' defence had been numerically weakened. In a match in which Dinamo's scorers were a forward, a midfielder and a defender, the comeback resulted from contributions by different lines of the team.
The first match had already foreshadowed a difficult return leg
The dramatic return leg was a continuation of the extremely even first encounter in Switzerland. At Stockhorn Arena on 21 July, Thun took the lead through Labeau in the 20th minute and protected their narrow advantage for a long time. Dinamo only equalised in the 86th minute, when Miha Zajc scored to make the final result 1:1. That score left the question of progression completely open, although before the return leg Dinamo were nevertheless expected to impose their quality and experience of European qualifying matches more easily on home ground.
At Maksimir, Thun showed why they had won the Swiss championship and why they had entered this European season with great confidence. The team was efficient, disciplined and dangerous in situations when Dinamo left space. Labeau, the scorer in both matches, stood out in particular, while Bürki had also scored the second goal in Zagreb before his dismissal. In its report, the Swiss club described the defeat as a painful ending to a great battle, emphasising that despite playing for a long period with a man down, the team had come close to causing a major upset.
For Dinamo, meanwhile, the tie confirmed the importance of squad depth and reactions from the bench. Kačavenda scored the equalising goal after entering in the second half, Hoxha and Topić increased the intensity on the wings and in the press, while Perez Vinlöf brought freshness on the left side. Beljo converted a cross at the most important moment, while Valinčić took responsibility when space opened for a shot. Although the performance was not without serious problems, the team's ability to remain calm after falling 0:2 behind and turn the result around may have great psychological value in the remainder of the qualifying campaign.
The next opponent will be known after the tie in Lithuania
Dinamo will face the winner of the tie between KÍ Klaksvík of the Faroe Islands and Lithuania's Kauno Žalgiris in the third qualifying round. Their first match, played in Klaksvík on 21 July, ended 0:0, meaning the decision will be made in the return leg scheduled for 29 July in Lithuania. According to UEFA data, the match will be played at the stadium in Jonava. Since the return leg had not yet finished at the time this article was published, Dinamo's opponent was not officially known.
UEFA announced that the first legs of the third qualifying round are scheduled for 4 and 5 August, with the return legs on 11 August 2026. The winner of that tie will advance to the play-offs for the league phase, which will be played on 18 and 19 August and on 25 and 26 August. A total of 36 clubs will participate in the league phase of the Champions League: 29 have secured direct qualification, while the remaining seven places will go to the play-off winners. The league-phase draw is scheduled for 27 August.
Thun will continue their European season in the third qualifying round of the Europa League. According to an announcement by the Swiss club, they will face the loser of the tie between Víkingur Reykjavík and Hapoel Beer Sheva. Dinamo's path towards the Champions League continues after a match that offered almost every element of qualifying drama: an early shock, a two-goal deficit, a VAR decision, a red card, a comeback in only four minutes and a winning goal by a defender in the closing stages of extra time. Progression was secured, but the next round brings another two-legged tie in which the Zagreb team will have to reduce the number of defensive mistakes and maintain the attacking energy with which they broke Thun's resistance.
Sources:
- GNK Dinamo Zagreb – official chronology of the Dinamo – Thun return match, goalscorers, cards and substitutions (link)
- GNK Dinamo Zagreb – official chronology of the first Thun – Dinamo match played on 21 July 2026 (link)
- FC Thun Berner Oberland – club report from the return leg at Maksimir and description of the key situations (link)
- UEFA – official schedule for the 2026/27 Champions League qualifiers and an explanation of the competition system (link)
- UEFA – official information on the Kauno Žalgiris – KÍ Klaksvík return leg in the second qualifying round (link)
- ESPN – statistics from the Dinamo Zagreb – Thun match, including possession, shots, corner kicks and passes (link)
- GNK Dinamo Zagreb – biographical information on Moris Valinčić and his return to the club in 2025 (link)