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2026-07-29 05:26 UTC → 2026-07-29 10:47 UTC ·
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In After a successful first‑leg round in late July 2026 July, Croatia’s four UEFA representatives continued entered the decisive second‑leg stage. Dinamo Zagreb prepared to make strides in Europe. host Thun, while Hajduk Split kept readied for its 2‑0 Europa League win over Pafos, while Rijeka and Varaždin also held onto their 1‑0 and 3‑2 victories against Derry City and return match under Polish referee Paweł Raczkowski. Varaždin, who lead Jablonec respectively. Dinamo Zagreb’s 1‑1 draw with Swiss champions Thun remained 1‑0 from the only non‑win, leaving all sides with realistic chances first leg, faced a cautious pre‑match briefing from coach Nikola Šafarić. He highlighted the need for bravery, noted the absence of advancing. The clubs then turned to injured players Duraković and Puclin, and remarked on the second‑leg fixtures: Dinamo will host Thun modest 3,600‑spectator crowd at Maksimir, Rijeka travels to the Czech Republic for venue. Rijeka, also ahead 1‑0 after beating Derry City, received a similar warning from manager Matjaž Kek. He stressed mental preparation, the return match against Jablonec, experience gap among his young squad, and Varaždin returns the importance of raising the quality of play to avoid complacency in the same venue. Bulgarian referee Radoslav Gidže‑nov will oversee Dinamo’s home game and Polish referee Paweł Raczkowski is slated for Hajduk’s next encounter. crucial 90 minutes. The week’s results clubs’ concurrent progress marked the first occasion time since 17 July 2014 that three Croatian clubs sides won on the same day in European competition, underscoring a notable upswing in boosting the nation’s UEFA coefficient. Parallel discussion focused on discussions continued about goalkeeper Dominik Livaković, whose loan at Fenerbahçe has ended; ended, with both player and Dinamo expressed expressing a desire for him to resume his career at return to Maksimir despite outside interest.