Blokhin's Dynamo ease to Dinamo Zagreb win

An early header from Oleh Gusev set FC Dynamo Kyiv en route to victory against GNK Dinamo Zagreb in Oleh Blokhin's first UEFA Champions League match as a coach.

The atmosphere inside the NSK Olimpiyskyi was expectant as the home fans prepared to welcome one of the city's most famous footballing sons into the dugout, and it went up another notch when Gusev rose to power in former Dinamo midfielder Ognjen Vukojević's cross.

The visitors, for whom this was an eighth successive group stage defeat, never recovered and conceded again just after the half-hour when Josip Pivarić unluckily turned in Taye Taiwo's ball across goal.

Dynamo – beaten 4-1 by Paris Saint-Germain FC in their Group A opener – could not have wished for a better start in the Ukrainian capital. There were three minutes on the clock when Vukojević was afforded too much time to lift his head and pick out Gusev, who had drifted into the centre of the penalty area from his position wide on the left.

The celebrations had scarcely subsided when Ideye Brown almost doubled the lead, Dinamo's susceptibility to crosses being laid bare once more as the Nigeria foward connected with Miguel Veloso's centre and elicited a fingertip save from the backtracking Ivan Kelava. 

The Croatian side were struggling to make any impact on proceedings yet were presented with a chance to unexpectedly level matters when Dynamo goalkeeper Olexandr Shovkovskiy left the confines of his goal to try to dispossess Fatos Beqiraj. Skipping past his challenge, the lone striker rolled the ball across goal but, fortunately for the hosts, Taiwo was on hand to clear.

Kelava then tipped Veloso's inswinging free-kick over the crossbar before Blokhin's charges extended their advantage on 33 minutes, with Dinamo the architects of their own downfall. Kelava's clearance found only Taiwo on the left, inviting him to surge towards the byline. Having steadied himself, the left-back delivered a low ball across goal which missed the throng of players at the near post but cannoned in off the stationary Pivarić.

That was cue for Dynamo to ease up, allowing Ante Čačić's team to briefly threaten a comeback at the start of the second half. That never looked like materialising, though, and only the profligacy of Brown, whose deft clip over Kelava lacked the requisite power to cross the goal line after Tonel had ceded possession 35 metres from goal, prevented the scoreline from taking on a more emphatic appearance. Dinamo have much to ponder ahead of the visit of PSG, who lost 1-0 to FC Porto, on 24 October.