However, the North Jutland team did not appear particularly fazed by the situation in the Croatian capital on Thursday.
Aalborg displayed great composure in most phases of the game, and it was evident from the opening minutes in Zagreb that the team had undergone a transformation.
A solid defense helped kickstart their counter-attacking game, and in attack, Juri Knorr showed plenty of guile and creativity to lead the Danes towards a much needed win
Zagreb quickly resorted to a seven-on-six attacking strategy, but they were promptly punished; Goalkeeper Niklas Landin pulled off a save and then coolly threw the ball into the empty Croatian net.
The Danes preserved the momentum throughout the first half, and shortly before the break, Thomas Arnoldsen extended Aalborg's lead to six goals following another successful counter-attack.
A brief drought for Aalborg during the first five minutes of the second half gave the Croatians a glimmer of hope, but that was quickly extinguished.
Aalborg recovered their attacking rhythm again and completely overwhelmed Zagreb, to score six unanswered goals during the second half. This effectively destroyed the hosts' belief in a comeback.
Danish national team players Mads Hoxer and Thomas Arnoldsen were back to their best; when those two are firing on all cylinders, Aalborg are a formidable opponent.
In addition to HC Zagreb, Celje and PSG are in the North Jutlanders' group. Alongside PSG, Aalborg sits comfortably at the top of the group with five points, and the two leading teams are set to face each other in Paris at the end of October.