For Chelsea, the UEFA Youth League group stage mirrors the senior Champions League so our Academy players were in action in the same city as Thomas Tuchel’s men on a sunny Tuesday afternoon in Croatia.

They were behind after only six minutes and conceded again before quarter of the game had been played. A well-worked Leo Castledine goal brought the young Blues back into it but Dinamo restored their two-goal advantage before the break with an unstoppable shot.

Having then gone 4-1 behind, there was resistance from the young Blues late in the game when a penalty was won but not converted. Then Castledine did strike for a second time but without sufficient minutes left on the clock to worry the home side unduly.

Early set-back

Chelsea, who had been in control from the kick-off, conceded from Dinamo’s first spell of possession and first real attack, when full-back Lovro Gubijan exchanged passes with centre-forward Fran Culjak and finished low with a shot across Teddy Curd. There were just five minutes on the clock.

The young Blues could have levelled the scores rapidly but Silko Thomas’s ball across the six-yard box evaded his team-mates, and then on 15 minutes Thomas himself hit the post.

He was first to a long pass from the back when the Dinamo keeper misjudged his advance but having caught up with the ball, from an angle he rolled it against the far upright.

Our opponents celebrated that let-off by doubling their lead. With tricky play, winger Gabrijel Rukavina worked his way past Brodi Hughes and completed the job with a near-post shot.

Suddenly, with 20 minutes played, our youngsters were up against it but they responded with a goal of quality, Thomas winning possession as the Croatians dozed. Lewis Hall made an overlapping run and crossed perfectly for Castledine to dive and head home.

However that foothold back into the game loosened before the break when Anes Krdzalic curled a quality shot in off the far post to make the score 3-1 to the hosts.

The first half ended with much to do for Ed Brand’s boys, although the smattering of mistakes Dinamo had made at the back offered some hope.

Second-half hope dashed

Indeed such slackness looked to be leading to a Chelsea chance within a minute of the restart but central striker Jude Soonsup-Bell could not get his shot away.

Instead, Dinamo dispossessed the Blues in midfield and Fran Topic rolled the ball past Curd for a 4-1 lead.

Curd prevented further damage when he saved a powerful shot but an initial chance to cut the lead further was spurned when after he had been tripped clumsily, Soonsup-Bell hit his penalty straight and Luka Prslja saved.

The Blues did hit the net again before the end when after a succession of second-half corners, one was made to pay when a Dinamo mistake allowed Castledine to nod in his second of the afternoon.

Our Under-19s do not have to wait long for a chance to put some points on the board in this competition with RB Salzburg U19s our visitors next week.

Chelsea Ted Curd; Brodi Hughes, Alfie Gilchrist, Bashir Humphreys (c), Zak Sturge (Samuel Rak-Sakyi 86); Kiano Dyer (Malik Mothersille 50), Lewis Hall; Silko Thomas (Louis Flower 86), Jimi Tauriainen, Leo Castledine; Jude Soonsup-Bell (Ato Ampah 90).

Unused subs Max Merrick, Travis Akomeah, , Tyrique George.

Scorer Castledine 29, 82

Booked Hughes, 9 Hall 44, Sturge 77, Humphreys 90+3

Dinamo Prslja; Gubijan, Zivkovic, Katinic, Cvetko (Ruskovacki 81);; Caic (Brkljaca 55); Topic (Sakota 66), Krdzalic, Lukanic, Rukavina (Ilecic 81), Culjack (Vrbancic 66).

Unused subs Zrilic, Katalinic,

Scorers Gubijan 6, Rukavina 20, Krdzalic 34, Topic 48

Booked Caic 44, Prslja 44, Gubijan 89