Under-21s stage comeback to see off Dinamo Zagreb

Having trailed after 25 minutes to Josip Brundic’s header from a corner, we stormed back after half-time, equalising through Oliver Boast’s first Under-21s goal before Ellis Lehane and substitute Luca Williams-Barnett rubber-stamped the win.

It means we’ve put three early points on the board in Group B ahead of further home games against AC Milan, Borussia Mönchengladbach and FC Nordsjaelland in the coming weeks.

On our first outing in the competition since January, 2025 – coincidentally also a home win against Dinamo – both sides passed the ball around sharply in the opening stages but seemed to cancel each other out as we struggled to play forward as much as we perhaps should have.

Tyrese Hall fired a rising shot at visiting goalkeeper Tai Znuderl in our first real chance, but it was the Croatian side who took the lead on 25 minutes, Brundic heading home at the near post from a Tomas Bakovic corner. Left-back Maeson King later embarked on an incredible solo run from inside our own half but elected to square instead of shoot when he got to the edge of the opponents' area while Noah Nsoki curled just wide from distance for Dinamo before Malachi Hardy sent a flying header over the top from Harry Byrne’s corner in stoppage time at the end of the first period.

Dinamo had a couple of chances after the restart, Nikola Radnic heading wide from a free-kick and Nsoki being denied one-on-one by the onrushing Sam Archer but we found it tough to find spaces in the visitors’ packed defence to get shots away until Lehane almost caught Znuderl out with an 18-yard attempt that forced the keeper to improvise in order to keep it out.

Hardy again sent an effort over the bar while our substitutes certainly made a difference as we sought a breakthrough, with the equaliser finally arriving on 66 minutes when Williams-Barnett’s fine diagonal ball was flicked by Boast out to Adewole on the right, Boast meeting the winger’s subsequent delivery in the box and forcing home at the second time of asking after Znuderl saved his initial attempt.

Williams-Barnett proved a handful for Dinamo and almost scored one of his familiar audacious shots from the half-way line, but saw the ball drop agonisingly wide with the keeper beaten. At the other end, Boast made a great block in our box to thwart Jona Benkotic while Brundic had the ball in the net but was denied by the offside flag before Elisha Sowunmi squandered a big chance for us, meeting James Rowswell’s cross with a back-post volley which flew across goal and wide. However, after a great defensive clearance from Lehane, Sowunmi made amends when he set up the latter to put us in front 11 minutes from time, driving the ball across from the left for the forward to bundle home from close range. Six minutes later, Williams-Barnett deservedly added his name to the scoresheet when he finished off the rebound from a tight angle after Tyrese Hall’s shot was saved, rounding off a well-earned victory for Wayne Burnett’s side against tough continental opposition.

‘A good performance in the end’

Coach Wayne highlighted how a slight change allowed the players to push forward more after half-time: “In the first half we didn’t play forward at times when we had the opportunity to do so, but certainly in the second half we were a lot more progressive with our play and created more chances.

“I thought we had chances, even in the first half, but I just felt that at times we had opportunities to play forward and we didn’t, and that allowed the opposition to get back into their shape and defensive structure and that in turn made it very difficult for us. In the second half we played forward more and it gave us more opportunities on their goal. We just had to tweak things a little bit, play forward at times, break lines and get into positions that were more dangerous.

“It was a good performance in the end, we scored some good goals, created some good opportunities and probably deserved to run out winners. We have to be conscious that when we are going forward, we secure the positions behind to continue to maintain that pressure, but overall I thought some of our play was good, some of our defensive play was good and I’m pleased that we’ve come away with a win.”

Line-ups

Spurs: Archer, Rowswell (c), King (Sowunmi 63), Hardy (Feeney 83), Dorrington, Byrne (Boast 63), Adewole, Tye Hall, Tyrese Hall, Ramsey (Williams-Barnett 63), Lehane (Moncur 88). Substitutes (not used): Knightbridge, Thomas.

Dinamo Zagreb: Znuderl, Mikic, Paunovic, Simu Zaja, Radnic, Taylor (Kasumovic 88), Brundic (Zulfic 79), Bakovic (Sunta 62), Cutuk (Perkovic 62), Benkotic, Nsoki (Sivalec 62). Substitutes (not used): Loncarevic, Begovic.

Match data

Goals: Spurs – Boast 66, Lehane 79, Williams-Barnett 85; Dinamo Zagreb – Brundic 25.

Yellow cards: Spurs – Byrne 51; Dinamo Zagreb – Taylor 70, Zulfic 89.

Referee: Carl Baker.

Venue: Stevenage FC Stadium.

Weather: Partly cloudy, moderate breeze, 16 degrees.

Attendance: 203.