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Thursday March 28, 2024

Mislav Orsic, the journeyman leading Dinamo´s bid for shock at City

Mislav Orsic gave Dinamo Zagreb a dream start in the Champions League with a sensational opening round hat-trick against Atalanta.

By AFP
September 30, 2019

ZAGREB: Mislav Orsic gave Dinamo Zagreb a dream start in the Champions League with a sensational opening round hat-trick against Atalanta, and now the journeyman striker has a shot at downing all-conquering Manchester City.

The 26-year-old is the competition´s leading scorer heading into their daunting clash at the Etihad Stadium alongside RB Salzburg´s teenage sensation Erling Braut Haaland.

However, his sudden rise to prominence for Dinamo comes after a middling career that has seen him traverse the globe in anonymity.

Maintaining a position usually reserved for Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo seems unlikely, but the three goals that put Orsic in top spot and crushed Atalanta 4-0 has suddenly put him in the spotlight.

Front pages in Croatia hailed the "night that will enter into legend" and Orsic as the hero, highlighting his journey "from unknown to a Champions League star".

The local boy started his senior career with Inter Zapresic, a team based just outside the Croatian capital, in 2009, and before joining Dinamo last year, he had played for a host of clubs in Croatia, Italy, Slovenia, China and South Korea.

"I´m probably a surprise for some who did not know me as I was playing in Asia, but I think there is still room for improvement in my game," Orsic told AFP.

"There is no other club for which I would feel the emotions I have every time when I enter the stadium."

Orsic´s good performances since the move home were rewarded this month when he made his debut for Croatia in their 1-1 Euro 2020 qualifier draw with Azerbaijan.

And Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic has included Orsic in his group for the forthcoming qualifiers with Hungary and Wales.

"He´s an excellent attacker who looked promising after his First Division debut 10 years ago. But then he went through a period of bad choices and changes that slowed down his development," prominent sports journalist Robert Matteoni told AFP.

 European presence 

Dinamo go into their trip to City top of Group C thanks in large part to Orsic´s treble over fancied Atalanta, who are taking part in their first-ever Champions league campaign.

That is already a big step up for a club that failed to score a single goal on their way to losing all six matches in their last group stage appearance in 2016-17.

Dinamo already have one goal more than in their previous 12 Champions League matches.

Pundits in Croatia say that Nenad Bjelica´s side are ready to make an important step forward and could even fight for the second place in a group that also includes Shakhtar Donetsk, and Orsic shares that view after seeing the team get to the Europa League last 16 last season.

"We already had a great European result last season and this is only the continuation. We have everything necessary to become a presence in Europe," he said.

Orsic, who credits for his success a "bit of talent and a lot of work," is an even an optimist ahead of the encounter with City.

"We all know who we are playing but that shouldn´t demotivate us," he said.

"We badly wanted the Champions League and to compete with the best clubs and that´s what we have, it´s all up to us.

"If we play to 110 percent of our abilities and catch City by surprise then anything is possible".