Club fans immediately took to Halilhodžić, as Dinamo started playing an attractive and a more attacking style of football. On 16 September, exactly one month after signing his contract, he led Dinamo to a somewhat improbable 2–0 victory over Spanish side Villarreal at the start of the group stage. Despite some encouraging results early in the season, however, Dinamo eventually failed to progress past the group stage, losing the deciding match in December at home against Greek club PAOK. Despite the setback, Halilhodžić stayed on due to support of both the fans and club management.