UEFA.com works better on other browsers
For the best possible experience, we recommend using Chrome, Firefox or Microsoft Edge.

PSG seek home double at Dinamo's expense

Paris Saint-Germain FC celebrated an emphatic Group A victory in their last home game and GNK Dinamo Zagreb's run of nine straight defeats will fuel belief of another win.

PSG's Zlatan Ibrahimović (right) controls under pressure from Josip Šimunić of Dinamo
PSG's Zlatan Ibrahimović (right) controls under pressure from Josip Šimunić of Dinamo ©AFP/Getty Images

The first ever meeting between GNK Dinamo Zagreb and Paris Saint-Germain FC produced an away win and the French side will hope for another success on home soil to consolidate second place in Group A.

• Goals from Zlatan Ibrahimović and Jérémy Ménez sent Dinamo to a third successive 2-0 defeat on matchday three, extending their run of consecutive UEFA Champions League losses to nine after they were undone at home to FC Porto and at FC Dynamo Kyiv in the first two games.

• PSG started the campaign with a 4-1 home win against Dynamo and on matchday two went down to a late goal in a 1-0 defeat at Porto.

Match background
• The game in Zagreb was the first time PSG had faced opponents from Croatia.

• Dinamo have recorded one victory in seven visits to France, losing three of the other six games. Their solitary success came in the 1989/90 UEFA Cup preliminary round first leg when they won 1-0 against AJ Auxerre through Davor Šuker's late goal, although they went down 3-1 at home in the return. They lost on their last trip to France, a 2-0 reverse against Olympique Lyonnais in last season's UEFA Champions League group stage.

• PSG, runners-up in Ligue 1 last season and making their fifth tilt at the UEFA Champions League, were last in the competition in 2004/05. They started that campaign with a 3-0 home defeat by Chelsea FC then beat Porto 2-0 in Paris but a 3-1 home loss to PFC CSKA Moskva meant they finished fourth in their group.

• Champions of Croatia for the seventh year in succession in 2011/12, when they completed the domestic double, Dinamo are taking part in the group stage for the second season running and the fourth time in all.

• As in 2011, the Zagreb outfit came through three qualifying rounds, first overcoming Bulgaria's PFC Ludogorets Razgrad with Domagoj Vida scoring the winner eight minutes into added time in a 4-3 aggregate success. Ante Rukavina struck Dinamo's other three goals in the tie.

• In the third qualifying round, FC Sheriff were defeated 1-0 in Moldova and 4-0 at home. Tonel's first-half goal at Slovenia's NK Maribor confirmed Dinamo's progress in the play-offs after they had won 2-1 in Zagreb.

• The Croatian club lost all six group games last season, going down 2-0 at Lyon, 4-0 at AFC Ajax and 6-2 away to Real Madrid CF. They conceded 22 goals in all, a UEFA Champions League group stage record.

Team ties
• Ibrahimović's mother was born in Croatia and the striker returned to her home country, and Dinamo's Stadion Maksimir, to score from the penalty spot and make another goal in Sweden's 3-1 friendly victory on 2 February this year.

• Thiago Motta played for Italy in a 1-1 UEFA EURO 2012 draw against Croatia in Poznan on 14 June. Josip Šimunić, Vida, Šime Vrsaljko and Ivan Kelava were all on the bench for Croatia, as was Salvatore Sirigu for Italy.

• Šimunić and Vida played for Croatia in a goalless friendly draw against France in Paris on 29 March 2011. Blaise Matuidi and Ménez started for the home side and Kevin Gameiro came on as a substitute.

• Šimunić also played against France at UEFA EURO 2004, Croatia's group match in Leiria ending 2-2.

Selected for you