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
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
posted by Jatex at 4:21 PM
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