Mladost Ždralovi claimed a 2:1 victory over Kustoshia in the second round of the First NL, played on 30 August at 15:00. The away side took all three points despite a missed penalty of their own earlier in the contest. Kustoshia had a chance to level matters but came for a cross he never reached in the closing stages.
The match opened with tension rather than fluency. A yellow card flew at the fifteenth minute, and the home side substituted J. Dolezal shortly after. By then the game was settling into a pattern of cautious exchanges, with neither side willing to commit too many men forward. The visitors carried the greater share of possession at 56 per cent, though that number tells only half the story.
F. Ozobic felt the pressure when he stepped up for a penalty at forty-three minutes, but his effort was spilled. The break brought two changes for Kustoshia — M. Zalazar and Belinho both entered the fray. The deadlock was finally broken at fifty-seven when A. Soudani El converted his spot-kick to put the visitors ahead.
More cautions followed as the second half wore on, five for the hosts and one for the visitors by the final whistle. Kustoshia pushed for an equaliser and found one at eighty-five, but Mladost Ždralovi struck again three minutes later to seal the result. The home side never got going in the final quarter, their energy spent on fruitless attacks.
The statistics show the visitors dominated territory with 99 attacks compared to 86, and registered seven shots on target against three. Possession tipped in their favour at 56 to 44, yet Kustoshia managed to carve them open on occasion. Both sides picked up bookings — four for the hosts, one for the away group — but no one was sent off.
Both teams now sit on one point after one game, Kustoshia in twelfth and Mladost Ždralovi in eleventh. The home side have not won since their opening-day 3:1 victory over HNK Zadar, while the visitors have drawn one and won one in their last two competitive outings. This result keeps the table wide open for the opening rounds.
