Dugo Selo secured a comfortable 3:0 victory over Inter Zaprešić in the second Dutch league, rounding off round six on Saturday afternoon. Both sides arrived with identical records — five games, seven points each — but the home side made the difference when it mattered.
And here's the thing about these mid-table encounters: they rarely turn on tactics alone. The breakthrough came at the interval when F. Jugovic found the net, putting the hosts ahead just as the teams were settling into their rhythm. By then the visitors had already shown they could create something, but the moment passed.
K. Herceg doubled the lead in the 70th minute, a goal that came after Inter had pushed for a response. I'd been watching the space between the lines rather than the ball, and you could see the visitors' shape beginning to stretch. To be fair, they had chances, but Dugo Selo's back line held firm.
I was fairly certain of a home win beforehand, though 40 per cent confidence isn't exactly certainty. You can call it luck or you can call it preparation, but this is the sort of game where the team that commits a little more wins. The third goal from I. Filipovic in the 87th minute closed the account and left little doubt about the final result.
Both sides remain on seven points after six rounds, though the gap between seventh and ninth place is still only two spots. Dugo Selo extended their home form with another clean sheet, while Inter will need to address why they struggled to respond when the game was still level.
