Zalaegerszeg take slender lead

Zalaegerszegi TE 1-0 NK Zagreb
Hungarian champions Zalaegerszegi TE have taken the first step towards a glamour meeting with Manchester United FC with a home victory over NK Zagreb.

Wet conditions
It started raining 30 minutes before the kick-off in the Üllói út stadium, Budapest, and did not cease throughout what was to prove a close encounter. Zalaegerszegi coped the better with the wet conditions and scored the only goal of the game after 17 minutes through Yugoslavian midfield player Darko Ljubojevic. The goal put them in command in the tie, although with a trip to Croatia to come for next week's return, the Hungarians will not be dreaming of Old Trafford just yet.

More focused
Zalaegerszegi dominated early on and looked the more creative, particularly in the middle of the pitch. The home side appeared more focused and always looked the more likely to open the scoring. The goal finally came when Hungarian international defender Florian Úrban found some space. He played the ball through to Ljubojevic, and the 27-year-old calmly lobbed the ball over Zagreb goalkeeper Vladimir Vasilj from ten metres.

Strong showing
Despite the shock of going a goal behind, Zagreb were anything but finished. They came out strongly in the second half and should have restored parity on several occasions. It was a rousing display and one that will give them plenty of hope ahead of the second leg next Wednesday.

Boszik pleased
In the end, Zalaegerszegi were happy to finish with a slender lead in the tie, especially as they avoided conceding an away goal. "We created many chances, we got a lot of ball in the midfield and scored an important goal," said home coach Peter Boszik.

United watching
"The second leg next week will decide this tie," said Ivan Katalinic, coach of Zagreb. It will certainly be an interesting game, with United manager Sir Alex Ferguson sure to be keeping a close eye on the outcome.