Dinamo Zagreb 2 - 1 K.A.A. Gent

Lee stars in fine attacking display

Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia
Division 3C - Recalled Chinese striker Lee Song added to the growing list of reasons why his manager should play him when he led the frontline brilliantly in the absence of captain Ivo Rados. Strike partner Ruslan Kostishin, on the other hand, flopped miserably once again and was booed off the pitch by unforgiving Croatian supporters.

Zagreb, missing the services of their star player, opted for an attacking 4-3-3 formation for the first time this season, with the manager electing to reinstate Lee instead of playing Thomas Winklhofer in midfield as many insiders expected him to do. The move paid dividends as Zagreb looked more dangerous then they had done in recent matches.

Gent showed that they were not going to be pushovers on the night as they took an early lead after 18 minutes, and it was by no means undeserved. Wisbell Isea had been booked for a rough challenge on Zagreb defender Igor Morozov, but when play restarted, he charged down Morozov's free kick and diverted the ball to an alert Assi Gabai. The Israeli lured Mihael Rajic to the left wing, where he evaded the defender's wild tackle and crossed into the box. Isea was first to the ball and headed past a bewildered Sasha Sabick for the opening goal. The home support was shocked into near silence, and the only noise was the small travelling band of supporters cheering their hearts out. However, Zagreb right-back gave Sabick a pat on the bum, as if to say "It's alright mate, we'll get back in no time at all," before waving his teamates on to the restart. The home crowd roared it's approval. In fact, the goal was only the second time the Zagreb defence had been breached in the league all season so far.

The home side started to find their feet, with Lee and Juan Manuel Gutiérrez de Cos looking hungry for goals. With the largely partisan crowd egging them on, they started taking potshots at the goal. The Gent defence was on high alert, and captain Haavard Jonassen had to sprint back and clear off the line as his keeper was beaten by a low bouncing shot from Lee. The home side, though, didn't have long to wait. Iñaki, in midfield, saw the opportunity for a quick break, and sent a high pass over the heads of Gent midfielders Iván Díaz González and Eivind Østerhus. Olexandr Buryi was on the recieving end and didn't hesitate, clipping the ball forward with the outside of his foot. It was a no-look pass and a brilliant piece of individual skill from the Ukranian. Gutiérrez de Cos took advantage of the disarray in the box to slide the ball past Ristani's despairing dive in goal. Zagreb were back on level terms, and with their dictating of the match, it looked a matter of time before they were ahead.

However, the referee had other ideas. In the 62nd minute, the home crowd was incensed when Nicola Ventola aimed a sneaky kick at Zagreb sweeper Mihael Rajic after losing the ball fairly. Rajic, feeling the blow on his ankle, turned and let loose with a groin kick. Ventola's eyeballs bulged out of it's socket as he crumpled to the floor and started writhing in agony, all the while with his hands clamped tightly on his nether regions. Ref Theo Neumann had no hesitation in sending Rajic off. Surprisingly, Ventola got off scott-free, and was stretchered off to the sidelines as the Gent physios rushed to treat him. He got his just desserts though, as he returned to play twenty minutes later, limping up and down the pitch with an awkward gait.

Two minutes after Ventola's return, Lee turned on the works with a clinical goal. Buryi was once again the provider as he dispossesed Østerhus and played Lee in. Lee could have gone for broke with the defenders retreating and Ristani scrambling back to cover, but instead chose to run at the defenders. He easily rounded a stumbling Ventola and powered the ball towards goal. Ristani was inches away as the ball bulged the back of the net. The game was effectively over and the job done as all the fight went out of the visitors.

Lee received the Man of the Match award for his efforts, but surprisingly failed to make the Team of the Round while his teamates Gutiérrez de Cos and Michael did. This prompted murmers of racism but they were brushed off gracefully by the Chinese forward.

Dinamo manager Jatex Cole was understandably pleased with the result, and had this to say, "I'm glad for Lee Song. He's worked hard in training and now he's got his chance and shown what he can do, he'll definitely be the better for it. I'm worried about the next match against Monaco though. It'll be a big clash, a potential title-decider and a wicked looking banana skin for my club. Ivo (Rados) will be back but Luis (González) will be unavailable after his booking today, not to mention Mihael (Rajic) getting sent off."

On the Rajic incident, Cole flashed a mischievious grin, "He asked for it didn't he? Rajic got rightly sent off and it made things a little harder for us with a man down, but I'm sure he'll learn a lesson from this. I'm not blaming the referee for letting Ventola get away, he's probably suffering enough now... I'll let you in on a secret then. Mihael's been taking jujitsu lessons and he got so pumped up on the pitch that he probably forgot where he was for a moment. I'll have a quiet word with him but I'll not be taking any further action with the lad. He's old enough to know what to do."

Team Lineups

Zganec out, Farran Nakajima in

Reserve striker leaves for greener pastures

Dinamo Zagreb striker Damir Zganec has signed for Brazilian club Santos after passing a medical. Zganec, who has not played a game this season, either competitively or non-competitively had earlier been put on the transfer list after he requested a move. The manager apparently agreed to let him go after receiving enquiries from clubs for the for the former Hadjuk Split hitman. The move cost Santos in the region of £6m, and this will be Zganec's second spell at the club following a short spell a year ago. Zganec made the move in time to play in the 2-1 win over Los Angeles Galaxy.

Meanwhile, Zagreb have captured Japanese youngster Issey Morgan Farran Nakajima from Rayo Vallecano for a cut-down price of £1.6m. The teenage midfielder has already been capped once by his national side and at the tender age of 19 looks to have been a steal. Ono was bought for £5m from Basel FC 6 days prior to his latest switch, but in a surprise move, was deemed surplus to requirements and offloaded at a loss. It seems Rayo's loss is Zagreb's gain.

Zagreb duo set for loan deals

Frohlich, Keane return to club

Australian midfielder Tim Cahill and Brazilian anchorman Elano are set to move on loan to Al Muludia and Brann respectively, the club confirmed this morning.

A spokesman for the club stated that in order to help these players gain more first team experience, Zagreb had decided to loan them out.

Going the other way were promising young defender Fabricio Frohlich, who has been capped 6 times for Brazil, but found playing opportunities scarce at Brann and thus decided to come back to the club early, and Irish centreback Roy Keane, who's one month loan at Montreal Impact ended.

Paris Saint-Germain 0 - 0 Dinamo Zagreb

Drab draw as Zagreb stay top

Le Parc des Princes, Paris, France
Division 3C - 45000 fans watched Paris Saint-Germain and Dinamo Zagreb share the spoils at Le Parc des Princes, ensuring that Zagreb kept a slender 1 point lead at the top of Division 3C. Monaco AS had earlier lost to Malmö FF, ensuring that Zagreb were not overtaken but the signs were there that the Croatian club needs improving if they are to go all the way in the promotion race this season.

Dinamo's Australian defender Peter Michael had been rested after his exertions for his country previously, but Damir Milinovic made the most of his chance in the first team, showing glimpses of his old form as he marshalled the defence. Ruslan Kostishin was again having an off-day in front of goal, increasing speculation over whether his days at the club are numbered. In fact, Zagreb's players seemed to have been playing while asleep, creating little and seemingly content to pass the ball in the centre of the pitch.

The home team were equally lacklustre, with the exception being Man of the Match and goalkeeper Radu Borets who once again capped an excellent display with several splendid saves throughout the game. Other than Borets, former Zagreb reject Jari Mäkelä played as if he had something to prove, making good runs and showing tactical awareness in midfield. In only his third league appearance standing in for Josko Kurtovic who was prevented from playing against his own club as stipulated in his loan contract, Mäkelä outshone his more illustrious teamates, including the 73k rated veteran Mário Silva, who seemed to have disappeared from the game.

In fact, the first scoring chance only came in the 36th minute, when Juan Manuel Gutiérrez de Cos' cross-shot was palmed away bu Borets and out for a corner kick. Rados' excellent lob to the near post was met by the head of Milinovic but Borets proved equal to the task with a good reflex save.
Iñaki had a good chance to open accounts right after the break but screwed his shot into the stands after having been put through by Rados. P.S.G's sweeper Paulo Sergio Litos also cleared off the line in the 72nd minute as the pressure mounted. On the resulting counterattack, Manel Hurtado went free of his marker but shot disappointingly into the side netting.

As full time drew closer, Zagreb captain Rados seemed like a man possessed, fighting tigerishly for possession as he tried to lift his team mates, but it was to no avail as he only earned himself a booking that will rule him out of the next match in 4 days time.

Litos almost won the game for the hosts in the dying seconds with a firm header, but Sasha Sabick in the Zagreb goal was alert enough to punch the ball clear.

Dinamo's next match will be against K.A.A Gent at home, and while that may not seem such a stern test as P.S.G on paper, the Blues have to improve drastically if they do not want to lose their position at the top of the table.

Team Lineups

Dinamo Zagreb 1 - 0 C.S.K.A Moscow

League leaders grind out yet another win

Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia
Division 3C - "Boring boring Dinamo" was the chant from opposition supporters on Saturday as the league leaders once again made things hard for themselves with a slim win over C.S.K.A Moscow.

The Croatian club failed to turn possession into goals as they tormented C.S.K.A with slick passing and barely broke sweat during the match. Returning defender Damir Milinovic received a rousing reception during his first home debut of the season and showed he wasn't going to take things for granted as he went into a crunching tackle on C.S.K.A forward Jacques Pollet with only 15 seconds on the clock. The referee flashed an early yellow card but Milinovic was more bemused then angry at having been booked so early in the game.

Peter Stam, the Russian club's Dutch defender was having a torrid time at centreback but the visitors somehow managed to escape unscathed at the break as Zagreb suffered from some woeful finishing. Most of the action was going on in the C.S.K.A half, but Lee Song still looked a little rusty on his first league start in place of Ruslan Kostishin and lost the ball a little too easily early on.

2 minutes before half time, Zagreb captain Ivo Rados' challenge on Pontus Farnerud left the Swede writhing on the ground. Although there seemed to be no infraction, the referee consulted with his assistant before awarding a free kick and booking Rados. As the home fans howled their disgust, Farnerud was stretchered off to the sidelines for treatment.

The home team started the second half with much more urgency, as news filtered in that third-placed AS Jeunesse Esch was leading 1-0 at half time. The Russian club's defence was stretched to breaking point, and when the goal finally came, it was spectacular to say the least. Ivo Rados, playing in an advanced role in the hole behind the two forwards, played a quick one-two with Lee, before taking the ball to the right of goal. An excellent feint to the left sent Ivan Kholodkov to the floor and as goalkeeper Ståle Pettersen came out to challenge, Rados somehow flicked the ball between Pettersen's legs and into the air. Juan Manuel Gutiérrez de Cos had somehow sneaked into the box and smashed the ball emphatically into the net with an acrobatic half-volley from the far post.

After getting the first goal, Zagreb slowed down some, allowing their opponents more breathing space, although Sasha Sabick still had pitifully little to do in the Zagreb goal. The scores could have been increased in the 83rd minute, but Rados' audacious lob from outside the box hit the crossbar and out for a goalkick with the goalkeeper well beaten. Olexandr Buryi too, was sent free by a quick free kick, but was crowded out by four defenders before his shot hit the upright and rebounded into the arms of a grateful Pettersen.

The game ended with Zagreb having had 58% of the overall possession, but their manager Jatex Cole was less than happy, "Against a club like C.S.K.A, this performance might have been enough, but when we face some of the bigger guns, we might find ourselves outplayed."

He then went on to demand more out of his attack, stating that the defence had been solid so far but goals, and not cleansheets, won games after all.

Ivo Rados was named Man of the Match yet again for his performance, as he once again confirmed his reputation as one of the brightest young prospects in Footballglory.

Team Lineups

C.S Maritmo 1 - 1 Dinamo Zagreb

Two red cards meted out in ill-tempered match

Campo Municipal, Portugal
Division 3C - Eight yellow cards were handed out in the match between C.S Maritimo and their visitors, Dinamo Zagreb as tensions threathened to spill over. The draw was perhaps a fair reflection of the match as neither side managed to keep hold of possession for sustained periods of the game.

Zagreb defender Igor Morozov was booked as early as the 7th minute as a mistimed challenge brought down opposing forward Nando Sanchez. Wingert Kalle Kurki was looking lively for the Portugese team while Zagreb had a shot on goal from Ivo Rados well saved by Stijn Stijnen in the first half. António Alexandre was then booked for hotly disputing an offside decision but his team mate João Almeida showed that the lesson was not learnt when he received a yellow card under similar circumstances 9 minutes later. The first half ended scoreless but not before Alexandre had got himself sent off for a shove on Iñaki, who had clearly got the better of him on the left wing.

The second half was more lively, as Zagreb started to exploit the space left unattended by a 10-men Maritimo. Although there were much more chances, Zagreb striker Ruslan Kostishin was having a bad day once again and fluffed two gilt-edged opportunities. The first was when he overkicked and sent the ball blazing over from 10 yards out after a fine cross from Rados while the second came after he tripped on the ball following a run into the box.

It wasn't until the 60th minute when Iñaki struck for the visitors were the scores opened. Olexandr Buryi collected the ball on the edge of the box and played Iñaki in. There seemed to be little danger, but Bernd Ott slipped while tracking the Spaniard and Iñaki made no mistake, slipping the ball past Stijnen. Kostishin then earned further displeasure from his manager when he collected a yellow card for bundling Alan Silva over just outside the box, ruling him out of the next match against C.S.K.A Moscow.

However, Zagreb found their numerical advantage negated in the 78th minute when Morozov was sent off for a second bookable offence, injuring Kurki when he clattered clumsily into him. Kurki was carried off but came back after two minutes of treatment on the sidelines. Zagreb were stunned and Nando Sanchez took advantage of it to score a trademark goal 6 minutes before the end of regulation time. He ghosted into the Zagreb penalty area, trapped a through ball from Roman Zavadil and sent a crisp shot into the bottom right hand corner of Sasha Sabick's net. Alan Silva came close to pulling off a great fightback for Maritimo when Sabick palmed a stinging Sanchez shot into his path but he somehow contrived to miss from 5 metres out.

Both Ukranians Morozov and Kostishin will recieve one match bans that will rule them out of the next game, but Damir Milinovic and Lee Song will probably be on hand to deputise for them.

Zagreb manager Jatex Cole said after the match that he was disappointed with his team's performance on the day, but also pointed out that the goal was the first they had conceded in the league so far this season. Zagreb is still one point above A.S Monaco, and two above A.S Jeunesse Esch and FK Vardar. Their fans will be fervently hoping that their poor form does not spill over into the next match as Zagreb fight for their long awaited promotion.

Team Lineups

Back Where He Belongs

Milinovic back at Zagreb; Promises to show form of old

Former club captain Damir Milinovic was transferred back to Dinamo Zagreb yesterday in a shock move, leading to jubilant fans rejoicing outside the grounds of the club.

Milinovic, who was transferred to Brann at the end of the last season, told assembled reporters that he was extremely glad to be back and would do his utmost to help the club achieve great things.

Milinovic was told near the end of last season by manager Jatex Cole that his playing chances were to be limited the next season and when Brann came calling, he found their offer too good to resist. Although he has featured consistenly in Brann's games this season and done reasonably well, it seemed the call of his beloved club ensured he would return sooner than later.

Cole had hinted on Saturday after the game with Inter Bratislava that the transfer of a first-class centre-back was eminent, but nobody guessed that Milinovic would make the move back to the grounds.

Cole told the gathered journalists, "Damir may not be able to run as fast now, but he's still got the quality to play at the highest level and that's what we will be expecting from him. He's back where he belongs and of course we're all here heppy for him. The baclline has been strengthened and I can see no reason why he can't go on to achieve his previous form for the club. Damir holds the club's all-time most matches played record, and his tremendous experience will be invaluable."

As part of the transfer, reserve team English midfielder Mark Picking moved in the opposite direction. Picking had been bought from Basel FC some time back, but found first team chances limited. Cole was reported to have wished him the best of luck at his new club.

Zagreb will face CS Maritimo later today and one suspects that Milinovic will at least be on the bench even if he does not make the first eleven.

A.S.K Inter Bratislava 0 - 3 Dinamo Zagreb

Kostishin marks return to form with brace

Pasienky, Bratislava, Slovakia
Division 3C - A resurgent Zagreb side ripped apart current division bottom-dwellers A.S.K Inter Bratislava as strikers Ruslan Kostishin and Juan Manuel Gutiérrez de Cos ran riot.

It was always only ever going to go one way, as Dinamo Zagreb comfortably regained sole owners of the top spot after Monaco's shock loss to A.S Jeunesse Esch earlier in the day. Ivo Rados earned himself a yellow card early on in the 9th minute for mooning the referee after a disallowed long range goal but it was only going to be a matter of time before a goal was registered, and everybody and his dog knew which side would get the goal.

As usual, Bratislava manager Mats Bang Pedersen was missing from the bench as the assistant coach tried to keep the players going. His exhortions were not going to stop the inevitable when Zagreb got their first goal from a set piece 15 minutes before half time. Gutiérrez de Cos' outswinging corner kick was met superbly by Arne Repvik, who managed a clean drive off the underside of the bar and into the goal. Jérôme Alonzo, who was back in the first team for Bratislava after an injury that kept him out of the first few league games, could do nothing as his defenders failed to help him out.

Zagreb were toying around with their opposition, showing off deft tricks and generally showboating to the delight of the away crowd. The halftime score read 1 - 0 as the players trooped back into the dressing rooms with the Blues in high spirits. Even the Zagreb manager couldn't keep a straight face as he visibly reprimanded his charges for not putting the game beyond reach.

Kostishin was looking dangerous after a rough scoreless patch so far this season. His first goal in six starts came three minutes after the restart as he played a neat one-two with Gutiérrez de Cos before speeding past a befuddled Egil Ulfstein and slotting the ball past Alonzo. By this time, Bratislava's Spanish midfielder David Pirri was struggling to keep up with the pace of the match, looking terribly jaded and out-of-breath. However, the Footballglory league rules not allowing substitutions ensured that the home team could do nothing about it. Olexandr Buryi took great advantage of his tired marker, carving the midfield wide open and sending more and more Zagreb players through to besiege the oppostion goal.

The icing on the cake was duly delivered in the 84th minute as a superb clearance from Igor Morozov saw Kostishin trap the ball perfectly and seemingly without having to catch his balance, flow into the Bratislava goal and shoot past a static Alonzo. The Bratislava players appealed against the goal for offside but referee Hoyzer was adamant. Clear goal, he reiterated.

Morozov claimed the Man of the Match award and was one of three players to make it to the Team of the Round together with Juan Manuel Gutiérrez de Cos and Olexandr Buryi.

Zagreb manager Jatex Cole was coy about his team's title chances, but praised his team for their unbeaten streak in the league and their amazing record of no goals let in at all so far. He also hinted that a deal was in the works to strengthen Zagreb's backline with yet another defender. We can only wait.

Team Lineups

Dinamo Zagreb 0 - 2 Tromsø

Zagreb bow out to top seeds

Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia
Cup - Dinamo Zagreb went down bravely to top seeds Tromsø in the cup yesterday. The result was expected but Tromsø manager Daniel Myrberg looked to be taking no chances, fielding a star-studded lineup that should have more than swept the home side away. However, a second-string Zagreb side played their hearts out for 90 minutes, and left the pitch with heads held high.

Tromsø fielded a squad with 9 players with wages higher than 80K. Morten Olsen with 75K and young Karim Essediri with 52K were the only exceptions. Zagreb were playing a 3-5-2 formation, with the team being led ably by team captain and vice-captain Ivo Rados and Luis González. The young backline was at no time during the match overwhelmed as they seemed to hold their own against the opposition.

"They are sensible lads. I was a bit afraid that they would be overawed by the occasion, but I decided it was more than time to let them have a taste of the big match," Manager Jatex Cole later commented on his decision to field youngsters in the team.

The match had only been on for 8 minutes when a delightful cross by Tromsø sweeper Alain Roche evaded the heads of the Zagreb defenders and Karim Essediri was on hand to smash the ball pass Sasha Sabick in goal. It was 1-0 and it looked like things were going to go very smoothly for Tromsø. But it wasn't until the 40th minute when a wild clearance by Christian Oetling was intercepted by Morten Olsen was the score increased. The Dane took one glance and curled the ball into the far left corner of the net. Tromsø defender Grégory Verhoeven was then booked for taunting the home fans after the goal. Zagreb held on till the break, but it looked like it was going to get worse before long.

However, after the break, Rados and striker Lee Song seemed to have taken it to their heads that they had to lead by example, tracking back deep into defence at times to help clear the ball. Even though Tromsø held the final possession rate at 59%, the Zagreb defence was not breached for the rest of the half, and the Zagreb players left the by-now muddy pitch to a standing ovation.

Tromsø manager Daniel Myrberg was not available for comment as he was quickly ushered into his private helicopter after the match.

Team Lineups

Dinamo Zagreb 0 - 0 F.C Skonto Riga

Croatian team post dour draw in absence of captain

Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia
Division 3C - An in form F.C Skonto Riga pulled off an upset of sorts as they held league leaders Dinamo Zagreb to a draw at Maksimir. Zagreb held on to register their fifth shut-out of the season, but the lack of goals only served to highlight their toothless attack in front of goal. This season has seen Zagreb only scoring on four occasions in the league, with all of them coming in their first three games.

While this preserved Zagreb's unbeaten run in Division 3C so far, Zagreb manager Jatex Cole was far from pleased with his side's performance. Zagreb has stuttered of late, also being held to a goaless draw in it's previous match. It certainly looks as if the early-season momentum has slowed down, and if Cole doesn't ring in the changes fast, it is believed that this may be yet another fruitless season for the Croatian club.

Zagreb had lost much of their attacking thrust due to the absence of it's skipper Ivo Rados, who missed the game through suspension. Rados had been sent off in the previous match against Malmo after a second bookable offence and had to put up with watching the match from the stands. However, such was the poor display of his forwards, that Cole was later said to be considering recalling out-of-favour Chinese striker Lee Song to the first team squad to boost the attack.

The match started promisingly in a light drizzle, with the home side having most of the possession. Luis González, the stand in captain, was acquiting himself well, but nobody else seemed to be doing anything much. Skonto Riga looked to be happy with sitting deep in their own half and absorbing the Zagreb attacks. Huo Zhiyu had his first league start of the season in place of Rados, after a fine two-goal showing against Rio Ave in the Cup, but failed to produce anything other than what was expected of him.

Zagreb goalie Sasha Sabick was largely untroubled, plucking a few stray crosses from the air, and once coming out smartly to save at the feet of opposition striker Arve Walde.

Two Skonto players were booked early on in quick succession as a dangerous two-footed tackle by Kaya Mehmet on Thomas Winklhofer was not missed by the referee. He had no choice but to flash the yellow card as the Skonto players gathered around him. Skonto keeper Dave Bult was then shown another yellow for excessive protesting when he was allegedly seen pointing a middle finger and gesticulating at the referee.

None of the Skonto players really excelled that night, and it was more down to Zagreb's woeful finishing that the night ended scoreless for both teams. Juan Manuel Gutiérrez de Cos had a good outing for Zagreb, but González was to take the post-match plaudits for his performance on the night.

Skonto Riga manager Paul Melamed was not available for comment after the match, but he was reportedly pleased with the result that put a solid three points in between his club and the relegation zone.

Team Lineups

Zagreb Squad Lists Released

First Team -

Sasha Sabick (gk), 30
Marcel Need (gk), 26

Mihael Rajic (df), 30
Igor Morozov (df), 29
Arne Repvik (df), 26
Peter Michael (df), 29

Ivo Rados (mf), 24
Luis González (mf), 28
Iñaki (mf), 28
Olexandr Buryi (mf), 27
Thomas Winklhofer (mf), 28
Josko Kurtovic (mf), 22

Ruslan Kostishin (at), 29
Juan Manuel Gutiérrez de Cos (at), 26
Lee Song (at), 30

Reserves -

Franz Almer (gk), 34
Jei Cole (gk), 22
Pablo Correira (gk), 23

Marek Kotas (df), 25
Roy Keane (df), 27

Elrio van Heerden (mf), 31
Edu (mf), 30
Elano (mf), 26
Mark Picking (mf), 28
Huo Zhiyu (mf), 28
Tim Cahill (mf), 24

David Bentley (at), 30
Joonas Siikala (at), 27
Damir Zganec (at), 25
Ricardas Miceika (at), 22

U-19 -

Christian Oetling (df), 20
Fabricio Frohlich (df), 19
Darko Kiseljak (df), 18
Anders Christian Horn (df), 18
Kjell- Frode Borgersen (df), 19

Anders Sæternes (mf), 19

Malmo F.F 0 - 0 Dinamo Zagreb

Spoils shared in top of table clash

Malmö Stadion, Sweden
Division 3C - Leaders Dinamo Zagreb ground out a boring stalemate at second-placed Malmo yesterday, having to play the last 3 minutes plus injury time without their influential captain Ivo Rados.

Rados was sent off in the closing stages of a dour match for a second bookable offence, a reckless high lunge on opposing captain and Man of the Match Sigurvin Olafsson, which almost decapitated the Icelandic international. Without even waiting for his marching orders, Rados left the field as a minor meelee broke out. Rados had earlier been yellow-carded for an altercation with Mark Bosnich at the other end of the pitch, which also resulted in the Malmo keeper being booked. Bosnich had apparently taunted Rados about his manager being better than Zagreb's and the players had scuffled. Rados had a small cut below his left eye while Bosnich was sporting two black eyes and a cauliflower ear after the incident.

Dinamo Zagreb keeper Sasha Sabick was outstanding on the night, making good saves from Olafsson, but the latter ultimately outshone him as he carried the bulk of his team's attacks throughout the match.

Both sides were playing for keeps, defending deep and making occasional darting runs into the other half of the field as the players fumbled for possession. A few players were largely anonymous and only one corner was awarded in Zagreb's favour early in the first half.

After the match, Malmo manager Jason Tan refused to shake the Zagreb manager's hand as several players continued arguing while heading for the dressing rooms.

At the press conference, Tan claimed that Bosnich was the finest keeper in the division, boasting that "until now no one has got past Bosnich yet". He then went on to state that he had been expeting either a "win or a draw" from the match, such was their superiority over the rest of the division.

Zagreb manager Cole responded angrily to Tan's claims later, saying that Tan was showing his arrogant side even though he had failed to do "anything substantially impressive as of yet". He also pointed out that Bosnich had only played 2 league games in the Division 3C so far, while Zagreb goalkeeper Sasha Sabick had played all 4 and had kept consecutive clean sheets too. "If you ask me, I think none let in from 4 games is much better than none from 2."

Adding further fuel to the debate was the announcement that Sabick had made the Team of the Round together with Olafsson.

On Rados' sending off, Cole told reporters that he would have to review the match video before coming to a conclusion. However, he stated his belief that the first booking had been unwarranted due to Bosnich's taunting. "He gave as good as he got though," Cole joked. Rados will be suspended for the next match against Skonto Riga and a panel will sit down to review his sending off and decide on a possible further ban next week.

Rio Ave 1 - 4 Dinamo Zagreb

Zagreb to face Tromsø next

Estadio dos Arcos, Portugal
Cup - A second string Zagreb side swept aside Div 4 club Rio Ave in Portugal in the second round cup tie as the club recorded their fourth straight win of the season.

Manager Cole had decided to rest most of his first team, leaving captain Ivo Rados the sole retainee from the early-week 1-0 win over fk Vardar. However, Zagreb was not lacking in experience, with old hands Elrio van Heerden, David Bentley and Lee Song complemented by reserve team members Huo Zhiyu, Mark Picking and Marek Kotas and rounded off with some up and coming youths.

Rados had a good day in the middle of the park once again, earning the Man of the Match award though he did not have an assist or a goal. He was all over the field, running back to tidy up stray balls and launching numerous attacks forward.

It took only 28 minutes for Zagreb to open it's account, with Anders Sæternes' through ball allowing Huo to finish with a simple tap-in. The Rio defense was in disarray and only 9 minutes later, Zagreb added a second as van Heerden won the ball at the edge of the Rio box and spotted Lee's run into the box. A delicate chip found Lee, who finished with aplomb for his first goal of the season in as many starts.

5 minutes before half-time, David Bentley surged into the Rio box, but Rio's Romanian striker Mikos Belenyesi followed him in, fighting for the ball. Bentley made it all the way to the touchline, where he cut the ball back to a lurking Huo Zhiyu. Huo nutmegged Akira Fukushima, then made no mistake from 5 metres out for his second goal and Zagreb's third.

The second half started more or less the same as the first, with Zagreb keeping the tempo steady. Rio's frontman Letaj Sucodru made a rare foray into the Zagreb half, as the rest of the team came forward hoping to lessen the deficit. However, Marek Kotas stood his ground and made an excellent tackle on Sucodru. He cleared the ball as far as Bentley, who had stayed up front. Bentley chipped the ball over an onrushing Bruno Mendes and sidestepped him to collect the ball perfectly. His pace took him past Rio custodian Adriano Moreira before slotting home the ball at close range.

After the fourth goal, Zagreb visibly went down a gear, their job more or less done, and Socudru took the opportunity to score a consolation from a Belenyesi freekick. Though the ball looked to have been amply covered by Zagreb goalkeeper Marcel Need, it took a deflection off Kjell- Frode Bogersen and Need fumbled it over the line.

Zagreb held on till the end for the win, as Mark Picking and Elrio van Heerden missed late chances to increase their arrears. Zagreb will face First Division high-flyers and current leader Tromsø in the third round of the cup at Maksimir next week.

Team Lineups

Dinamo Zagreb 1 - 0 FK Vardar

Late Winklhofer goal settles things

Zagreb, Croatia
Division 3C - FK Vardar looked to be heading for an undeserved draw early yesterday afternoon before a fabulous strike from Thomas Winklhofer turned the tie in the home side's favour.

Maksimir saw a capacity crowd of 45000 fans cheering the teams on as Vardar visited a resurgent Zagreb side, who were looking to extend their winning run to three games on the trot. It was tipped to be a tight contest, and on paper, it looked just that, with both sides failing to really trouble their opposition.

However, after the break, the Zagreb players started to control the match, making marauding runs into Vardar's box and causing no end of trouble for the defenders. Poor finishing and some last gasp defending though made sure that the score was kept level until the 80th minute.

Winklhofer, recently recalled to the squad after manager Jatex Cole decided to rest Inaki, played a sweet one-two with captain Ivo Rados, rouding defender Slavco Damjanovski and leaving him in his wake as he curled a wicked spinning ball into the far corner of the net. As Iven Austbø dived desperately short, the home crowd rose as one.

After the goal, the home side's nerves seemed to have been calmed and the score could have been put further beyond doubt as Juan Manuel Gutiérrez de Cos and Rados went close.

After the match, a beaming but visibly tired Zagreb manager told the assembled press he was relieved with the final score, but the players had to strive to improve even more if they were to last the pace.

"Of course the win streak is a good start, but we have to keep the momentum going.and not wear out like we have been liable to do over the apst few seasons."

Vardar manager Roy Larsen was not available for comment.