Viking beat Dinamo Zagreb 3-1 in the UEFA Champions League play-offs at the SR-Bank Arena on Tuesday evening. The hosts took an early lead through Arber Hoxha and then hit back after the break to secure a remarkable victory against the visitors.
Hoxha opened the scoring in the tenth minute, catching Dinamo Zagreb off guard. Zvonimir Tripic doubled the visitors' advantage with a penalty just eight minutes later, sending Viking into the break two goals down.
And here's the thing — Viking changed everything after the interval. Erlend Austbo pulled one back in the 48th minute, and Thomas Moi struck again two minutes later to turn the match on its head. Dinamo Zagreb looked stunned.
Yellow cards came thick and fast on both sides. Heggheim, McKenna, Askildsen, Tripic, Bell and Orsic all saw cautions, while nine substitutions were made across the two halves. By then the game was already decided.
To be fair, the statistics tell a different story. Dinamo Zagreb dominated possession at 63 per cent and created more attacks, but Viking were far more clinical. They took 17 shots with eight on target against four for the visitors, and their expected goals figure of 1.77 reflected their efficiency.
The result puts Viking in a strong position ahead of the second leg. They had lost 2-2 in the reverse fixture, but this performance shows they can compete with anyone in European football.
