Domestic bliss for Dnipro
Sunday, November 28, 2004
Article summary
Group C: FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk's good form continued in Ukraine at the weekend.
Article body
FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk's good form continued with another win this weekend. uefa.com rounds up the latest from the UEFA Cup Group C contenders ahead of Matchday 4.
Dnipro
The Ukrainian side followed up their win against FK Austria Wien with victory in the Premier League. Evgeniy Kucherevskiy's team beat FC Arsenal Kyiv with a 61st-minute goal from Olexandr Melashchenko to climb to eighth in the table. However, Serhiy Nazarenko was injured in the match - Dnipro's tenth without defeat - and is a serious doubt for the 1 December trip to Real Zaragoza. Dnipro have already secured their place in the last 32.
Austria
After three games without a win, Austria enjoyed a 1-0 away success against the Austrian Bundesliga's bottom side, SW Bregenz. Günther Kronsteiner's team, one of three tied on three points in Group C, were grateful for Tosin Dosunmu's strike which kept them two points behind leaders SK Rapid Wien, in second place.
Zaragoza
Zaragoza fell to a 2-1 defeat at bottom-of-the-table CD Numancia in the Primera División. Argentinian forward Aldo Osorio scored two first-half headers for the strugglers before defender Gabriel Milito netted what proved to be a consolation for Zaragoza. The 1995 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup winners did get a boost, however, when striker David Villa, a pre-match doubt with a stomach bug, appeared as a second-half substitute.
Club Brugge
Club Brugge KV kept their grip on the Belgian First Division with a 3-0 home win against R. Excelsior Mouscron on Sunday. Captain Timmy Simons opened the scoring with an early penalty before Rune Lange added a second and Simons found the net again to seal the win. Birger Maertens, Boško Balaban and Peter Van der Heyden were all suspended, while Marek Spilár is still sidelined with a hamstring problem.
Utrecht
Group C's bottom club FC Utrecht recovered from the Matchday 3 defeat at Club Brugge by seeing off De Graafschap in the Dutch Eredivisie. Rick Kruijs scored the only goal nine minutes from time, having come on as a substitute just 60 seconds earlier. Utrecht, who are not in UEFA Cup action this week, were missing defender Bas van den Brink because of a groin injury.