Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb stayed on course for a domestic double after they beat Slaven Belupo Koprivnica 1-0 in the first leg of the Croatian Cup final on Wednesday.
Top scorer Eduardo da Silva converted a 77th-minute penalty after he was brought down by Srebrenko Posavec to give Dinamo the edge ahead of the return leg on May 26.
Dinamo dominated and missed several good chances to win by a bigger margin, the best falling to Josip Tadic when he headed against the crossbar shortly after the hour.
09 04 2007
A Josip Tadic header in the 20th minute gave champions and league leaders Dinamo Zagreb a 1-0 home win against Osijek that stretched their advantage to 11 points after closest rivals Hajduk Split lost 1-0 at home to struggling Pula.
Hajduk missed a hatful of good chances before Marko Radas gave Pula an unlikely win after keeper Vladimir Balic spilled his 54th-minute free kick and saw it trickle over the line.
Third-placed NK Zagreb are 18 points off the pace after they were held to a 1-1 home draw by second bottom Cibalia Vinkovci.
07 04 2007
Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb moved a big step closer to retaining their league title after a 1-0 home win over Osijek on Saturday left them 11 points clear at the top with eight matches left.
Nearest rivals Hajduk Split slumped to a 1-0 home defeat to struggling Pula Staro Cesko.
Third-placed NK Zagreb are 18 points off the pace after a 1-1 draw with second bottom Cibalia Vinkovci.
Midfielder Josip Tadic gave Dinamo the three points with a diving header in the 20th minute after a pinpoint cross by defender Hrvoje Cale.
Hajduk missed a hatful of good chances before Marko Radas sank them with a 54th minute free kick that trickled over the line after keeper Vladimir Balic spilled it.
24 03 2007
Juventus are reportedly monitoring the performances of Dinamo Zagreb striker Josip Tadic.
The Bianconeri are looking for young blood to strengthen their squad in view of their probable return to Serie A and the club's talent scouts have eyed the 19-year-old.
Tadic, who joined the Croatian First Division side in December, moved to Bayer Leverkusen in 2005 but struggled.
He only played one top-flight game and generally appeared for the club's reserve squad in the German Third Division before returning to his home country.
The forward, who has been capped by the junior Croatian national teams, is contracted until 2011, but has caught the eye of Juve officials Alessio Secco and Pasquale Sensibile.
Meanwhile, Juventus general director Jean-Claude Blanc has confirmed that the Old Lady are planning a significant summer spending spree to build a competitive side.
"We have the money and a lot of it," the official told La Repubblica. "Most of the extra £71.6m approved by the board will be used for new signings, which will be finalised in the summer."
12 03 2007
Champions Dinamo Zagreb beat Osijek 1-0 and stretched their lead at the top to eight points after old enemies Hajduk Split were held to a goalless draw at struggling Pula.
Josip Tadic scored Dinamo′s winner against his former club with a close-range header three minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute.
