Dinamo Zagreb sack manager after rout

Dinamo Zagreb have sacked manager Krunoslav Jurcic after they were thumped 7-1 by Lyon in the Champions League on Wednesday.

The loss meant Dinamo finished the group stage of Europe’s elite club competition without a point from their six matches, having scored just three goals and conceding 22.

Despite leading the Croatian league by six points, the massive defeat has seen Jurcic’s tenure at the club come to an abrupt halt.

“It’s a difficult defeat to stomach,” the club’s executive director, Zdravko Mamic, told Croatian media after the loss.

“The board convened straight after the game and we decided to part company with Jurcic because this was an embarrassing end to our interest in Europe this season.”

“We have to find a way to make it up to the fans. This is not cheap talk, we had long-term plans with Jurcic and we discussed the future at lunch this afternoon. ”

Jurcic’s sacking came just hours after the match, where he had offered these comments post-match.

“It’s difficult to find an excuse after a 7-1 drubbing but reaching the group stage was deemed a huge success at the start of the season and I’d rather we tried to punch above our weight and learn than play in the Europa League,” Jurcic said.

“We have all the makings of a young and inexperienced team which can’t deal with difficult situations, when players get paralysed by adversity instead of fighting back.”