Aćimović on his team's role at the UEFA Euro 1976:
"Two things factored in our final result. First of all, the score of the first half of the match with Germany and then the fact that we, as hosts of the tournament, were prevented from our plans of showing what we were made of. Against the Germans, we thought that we had the final in our hands. At half time, some of us players were even talking about the final. The atmosphere in Belgrade and Zagreb was good but there was pressure felt everywhere we went. Everyone expected the gold medal and we weren't able to carry that weight on our shoulders."[4]