Mislav Orsic scored a stunning hat-trick as Dinamo Zagreb sent Tottenham Hotspur crashing out of the Europa League with a 3-0 extra-time win in the Croatian capital.
Orsic and Dinamo were superb throughout, with the 28-year-old’s decisive third goal the pick of his three, brilliantly finished past Hugo Lloris after a stunning solo run.
The result leaves Spurs scrambling to rescue their season, with Jose Mourinho’s side eighth in the Premier League and facing the prospect of a hugely underwhelming first full campaign under the Portuguese manager.
Spurs took a 2-0 lead to Croatia from the first leg, but struggled to hit their straps despite naming a relatively strong side on their visit to the Stadium Maksimir. And it was Dinamo who had the pick of the chances in a lacklustre first half, with Lovro Majer sliding a shot narrowly wide and the same player almost opening up Spurs a minute later, only to be denied by a brilliant defensive intervention from Davinson Sanchez.
And Dinamo continued to look the better side after the break, creating further half-chances before Mislav Orsic opened the scoring on 62 minutes with a stunning strike into the top corner.
The hosts continued to threaten, despite Spurs strengthening off the bench with the additions of Giovani Lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombele. And it was Orsic again who drew the tie level on aggregate with a clinical finish when unmarked in the box.
Spurs pushed hard to try and rescue the game in extra-time, but it was Dinamo who won it just as thoughts were beginning to drift towards a penalty shootout, with Orsic’s stunning third proving the winner.
Dinamo won’t have to wait long to discover their quarter-final opponents, with the draw for the last-eight set to be held at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon tomorrow lunchtime.