Viking into Champions League for first time after victory over Dinamo Zagreb

It was the reigning Croatian champions that had the better of the opening stages against a nervy-looking Viking side, as Mateo Lisica fired a curling left-footed effort wide from inside the box, before Arild Ostbo made a vital block to deny Luka Stojkovic only moments later.

Dinamo’s early pressure was rewarded, though, as Albania international Arber Hoxha headed home an excellent delivery from Stojkovic to edge the Purgeri in front.

Viking responded well to this setback and were soon awarded a penalty after Scott McKenna was adjudged to have handballed following VAR intervention. De Morkebla captain Zlatko Tripic stepped up to take the spot-kick and drilled the ball straight down the middle in emphatic fashion to level the tie on aggregate.

Lisica wasted a glorious opportunity for Dinamo as half time loomed, when he dithered too long over whether to shoot or pass and ended up taking the ball out of play. Viking went straight down the other end, where Kristoffer Askildsen’s fierce strike was parried by Ivan Nevistic.

De Møokebla came close to taking the lead on aggregate for the first time in the tie straight after the interval, when Nevistic did superbly to keep out Henrik Falchener’s close-range strike.

However, the noise from the Viking supporters could soon be heard all over Norway, when Askildsen smartly teed up Edvin Austbo, who took a composed first touch before smashing the ball into the net from the edge of the area to give Viking the advantage.

Dinamo suddenly found themselves in huge trouble as, on Viking’s very next attack, a deflected shot from Tobias Moi found the bottom corner after 50 minutes to put the Norwegian champions in the driving seat.

Desperate for a way back into the tie, Dinamo’s Dion Drena Beljo steered a golden opportunity wide with just under a quarter of an hour left to go, while at the other end, Nevistic did well to tip the ball around the post and prevent Peter Christiansen from extending De Morkebla’s lead further. 

Ultimately, Viking’s dominance in the early stages of the second half proved to be the difference in a superb play-off round tie. The Norwegian outfit will discover who they will face in the UCL league phase when the draw is made on Thursday in Monaco.

Meanwhile, following their exit, Dinamo Zagreb will now compete in the league stage of the UEFA Europa League.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Zlatko Tripic (Viking FK)

See all the stats from the match here