Dinamo will not play in spring-time European competition for the 40th year in a row. This is not to do with what many are calling the Benelux connection, rather with the fact that Dinamo lost the most crucial of key games at home to FC Timişoara, 2-1
In what was supposed to be a key game to push Dinamo through to Group A in the Europa League, the Croatian champion lost all competitive fervor after the first half-hour of the match. Dinamo needed Ajax to beat Anderlecht at home, but at this time the Belgians led their neighbours three goals to none.
Dinamo created four scoring opportunities in the first fifteen minutes of the game, but the score remained level at zero. Timişoara also created a few chances, but Dinamo was without doubt the better side in the first half. The chief problem was the iced-over pitch on which Dinamo could not find the strength to play a full press on the Romanian side, which gave guests enough time to rest their ranks by playing possession ball in midfield.
The score did not change until 67 minutes. Although everybody was expecting Dinamo to win, the game took a different course. The Romanians scored first through their goalgetter Bucur. Dinamo equalized after an own-goal from Scutaru, but Goga turned things back in to their favor on 84 minutes.
40 years on, and Dinamo's Euro curse is still haunting the ghastly vacant Maksimir Stadium.
