Overview
Viking's first Champions League campaign since 1992, when they were eliminated by Barcelona in the first round, started in the worst possible way. In just the first 10 minutes of the first leg last week, the Norwegian team conceded 2 goals.
Viking has failed in all seven most recent first and second legs in European cups, including the defeat to Istanbul Basaksehir in the Conference League qualifiers last season. Therefore, the risk of stopping early in the Champions League once again is very clear.
However, Viking reacted strongly after a difficult start. Peter Christiansen narrowed the gap with a beautiful shot, before captain Zlatko Tripic brought the match back to the starting line right before halftime.
The 2-2 result helps them still have a chance to win a ticket to the Champions League group stage. In case they cannot overcome Dinamo Zagreb, Viking will still have a ticket to the Europa League.
This achievement came after a memorable season for Viking. Under the management of Sporting Director Erik Nevland and the duo Bjarte Lunde Aarsheim and Morten Jensen, they ended the prolonged dominance of Bodo/Glimt and won the Eliteserien championship after 34 years of waiting.
Viking is currently still closely following Bodo/Glimt in the race to defend the top spot. They have 13 wins, 1 draw and 3 defeats, just 1 point behind the leading team.
Because the domestic league match was postponed to focus on the Champions League, Viking had more time to prepare for the second leg. Conversely, Dinamo Zagreb still played last weekend and defeated NK Varazdin with a score of 3-1.
Dion Drena Beljo continued to score, contributing to Dinamo's comeback victory. This is the third consecutive victory for the Croatian team since the beginning of the season.
Dinamo has just had a successful season when winning the 26th Croatian championship and winning the National Cup. Mario Kovacevic's team is also aiming for their 10th Champions League group stage appearance.
Dinamo's qualifying journey began in the second round. They defeated Thun after extra time and then defeated Kauno Zalgiris with a total score of 7-1 in the next round.
The scenario in the first leg with Viking was quite favorable for Dinamo. Beljo and Mateo Lisica successively scored early, helping the home team lead 2-0 after just a few minutes. However, that advantage quickly disappeared when Viking found 2 equalizing goals.
Dinamo almost had a decisive goal when Mislav Orsic's volley hit the post and bounced into goalkeeper Arild Ostbo's back before going out of bounds.
Despite losing the home advantage, Dinamo still has a basis to be confident before the second leg. In the last 24 matches in the Champions League qualifiers, the most successful team Croatia has only lost 3 matches.
Expected lineup:
Ostbo, Heggheim, Stensness, Falchener, Haugen, Askildsen, Bell, Moi, Tripic, Christiansen, Austbo.
Dinamo Zagreb: Nevistic, Valincic, Dominguez, McKenna, Perez Vinlof, Kacavenda, Misic, Zajc, Lisica, Beljo, Orsic.
The match between Viking and Dinamo Zagreb takes place at 2:00 AM on August 27 (Vietnam time).
