Dinamo's strength, dominance, solidity in midfield, defensive reliability, intricate passing combinations... All of this was part of a magnificent football evening at Maksimir in front of 23,000 spectators. On September 16, 2010, Dinamo defeated Villarreal 2-0 in their opening Europa League group stage match.

The popular Spanish "Yellow Submarine" was the firm favourite in Group D at the time, not only due to their UEFA coefficient and status as first seeds, but also based on their play, impression, confidence, and results on the European scene. After all, later that same season Villarreal reached the semi-finals where they were stopped by Porto.

The Blues were led from the bench by coach Vahid Halilhodžić, who had joined the club just a month earlier. In the Maksimir clash, they outplayed Villarreal, defeating them 2-0, with goals scored by Ante Rukavina in the 18th minute and Sammir in the 80th minute. Meanwhile, Villarreal's Spanish international and Brazilian-born Marcos Senna was forced to leave the pitch early in the 74th minute after receiving his second yellow card.

Rukavina had already made an impressive start to the match, cleverly leaving the ball with his heel for Milan Badelj in the opposition penalty area, who powerfully fired it into the defensive wall. It was a sign of a difficult evening ahead for the visitors.

Midway through the first half, Pedro Morales made a slalom run down the left flank and from about ten metres out hit goalkeeper Diego Lopez.

The Blues soon after shook the net following a masterful pass from Sammir. He unstoppably drove the attack from deep in his own half, escaped his marker, and with a through ball from the right played in Rukavina, who had run in from the left side and from about ten metres fired past the goalkeeper into the near corner.

In the "overture" to the second goal, first Gonzalo Rodriguez cleared the ball off the goal line with a sliding tackle, before Senna's dismissal followed. The story was concluded by Sammir, who transformed from provider to scorer. He was brilliantly served from the left by Maksimir defender Leandro Damian Cufre in a counter-attack, who cut inside to the centre, while Sammir appeared at the "far post", broke clear in front of the goalkeeper and found the near corner.