Tottenham exit Europa League as Dinamo Zagreb's Orsic nets hat trick

Updated: May 17, 2023, 12:08 am

Dinamo Zagreb's Mislav Orsic scored a sensational hat trick to lead his team to a 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League and passage to the quarterfinals on the back of a 3-2 aggregate win.

Jose Mourinho's side came into the second leg with a 2-0 advantage from the first leg and found themselves facing a Zagreb team whose coach Zoran Mamic had stepped down earlier in the week after having a prison sentence for fraud upheld.

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A tepid first half saw Zagreb miss a clear-cut chance shortly before the break and the teams went to their dressing rooms level at 0-0.

The hosts took a deserved lead against the listless Spurs just after the hour mark with an absolute screamer from Orsic, who cut inside to his right foot on a counter-attack and smashed a shot into the upper corner that Hugo Lloris could only watch go into the net.

Zagreb then drew level on aggregate at 2-2 in the 83rd minute with another excellent goal from Orsic, this time finishing off a crisp team move with a powerful first-time shot from the centre of the penalty area.

Dinamo Zagreb's Mislav Orsic celebrates after scoring a goal against Tottenham in the Europa League.
Getty

Neither team was able to find a winner and the match headed to extra time where Orsic completed his hat trick with a hard-charging run through the heart of Tottenham's defence capped off with a shot from distance that beat Lloris at his near post.

"I think everyone is a hero tonight because we all breathed as one in an unforgettable match," Orsic told reporters. "We were gutted after the 2-0 defeat in London because we felt we had it in us to do better and we couldn't put a foot wrong tonight. It was a dream come true.

"We showed that we are capable of standing our ground against a high-level team and if we stay humble and avoid getting carried away we can do more big things in the Europa League."

Tottenham unleashed a flurry of shots on the Zagreb net in the closing minutes of extra time, but the home side's keeper Dominik Livakovic stood firm and helped his team see out a famous win.

Zagreb will now await the outcome of Friday's Europa League draw to see who they will face in the quarterfinals.