Dinamo Zagreb sack coach Sergej Jakirovic after Bayern 9-2 thrashing

The first matchday of the new Champions League 2024-25 left us with a historic record. Bayern Munich achieved the biggest win in the modern history of the tournament, which was re-established in 1992, by beating Dinamo Zagreb 9-2. Although the Croatian side had their moments of lucidity and came close to equalising after the break when they were 3-0 down (they went 3-2 behind), the Bavarians went into demolition mode and swept aside Dinamo Zagreb.

The result embarrassed Dinamo Zagreb, who on Thursday ended up sacking their coach Sergej Jakirovic. The 9-2 scoreline was not the only cause, but it was the trigger for his departure in a truly fateful week for this Croatian storied club. Four days before their visit to the Allianz Arena, they had lost one of the country's derbies to Gennaro Gattuso's Hadjuk Split (0-1), who is also struggling at the moment.

Everything has been precipitated by these results, because Jakirovic went on to win the Croatian League Coach of the Month award after starting with four consecutive wins in which he scored 12 goals and conceded two. The atmosphere has been complicated in recent days, as the club's statement shows.

"We thank Sergej Jakirovic from the bottom of our hearts for everything he has given for our club and wish him the best of luck and success in the future. We hereby appeal to the media and the public to be sympathetic to Sergej Jakirovic and his family and not to aggravate the already stressful situation," Dinamo Zagreb said.

For the time being, assistant coach Sandro Perkovic will manage Dinamo on an interim basis. The Croatian press reports that Edin Terzic, the former Borussia Dortmund coach who has been linked with a move to Roma in the last few hours, is one of the favourites for the job. Niko Kovac has also been mentioned.

 

September 19, 2024