Dinamo Zagreb left the Stockhorn Arena with a 1-1 draw and the away goal they wanted; the Croatian champions salvaged parity through Miha Zajc in the 86th minute after Brighton Labeau had put FC Thun in front for nearly seventy minutes.
M. Lustrinelli kept Thun in a 4-4-2 and the plan to stretch S. Perković’s 4-2-3-1 worked early. Fabio Fehr kept driving from right-back, and his measured supply found Labeau, who converted in the 20th minute. Thun leaned into duels and second balls, Justin Roth snapping into tackles even after his 70th-minute booking, Nico Maier matching the aggression until he was withdrawn on 56 minutes for Nassim Zoukit.
Dinamo, rattled by Zajc’s yellow card inside two minutes, gradually imposed themselves. Josip Mišić and Zajc dictated later phases, Beljo acting as a backboard to bring Oršić and Vidović into the pockets. The volume told: 57 percent possession, 20 total shots, six on target. Yet they lacked clean execution around Niklas Steffen’s area until Perković reshuffled. Mateo Lisica, cautioned on 62 minutes, made way for Arber Hoxha at 66; more telling was the double switch on 80 minutes when Fran Topić and Lukas Kačavenda entered. Topić needed just six minutes to slide Zajc into space, the playmaker cool enough to level in the 86th minute.
Thun, already managing cautions for Marco Bürki in the 66th minute and Roth in the 70th, sank deeper after replacing Labeau with Christopher Ibayi and Reichmuth with Nicolas Bürgy on 79 minutes. The fresh legs helped absorb crosses but blunted their counter threat. Michael Heule’s diligence curtailed Oršić for long spells, while Fehr, booked in the 90+1st minute, still logged four key passes and twelve duels won to underline why Lustrinelli trusted his overlapping.
Dinamo’s late push justified Perković’s persistence with Zajc despite that early card. The equaliser arrived via the substitute Topić, validating the altered attacking carousel. Scott McKenna and Sergi Domínguez held the back line high, contesting aerials and preventing Thun from turning clearances into transitions once Furkan Dursun departed on 56 minutes.
Key numbers:
- Shots: Thun 16, Dinamo 20
- On target: Thun 3, Dinamo 6
- Possession: Thun 43 percent, Dinamo 57 percent
- Corners: Thun 9, Dinamo 5
- Fouls: Thun 19, Dinamo 13
Elsewhere in the qualifier slate, Fenerbahçe 1-0 Gornik Zabrze offers a reminder of how slim the margins are at this stage.
Second leg is next week in Zagreb, Dinamo carrying the away goal but not the cushion. Perković will expect more incision at Maksimir, while Lustrinelli must decide whether to mirror tonight’s 4-4-2 or introduce extra control in midfield to protect what is, effectively, a level tie.
