SOCCER-EUROPE/EASTERN

APRIL 7 2008 10:24h

Croatia League Games Postponed after Custic Death

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Weekend matches were postponed as a mark of respect for Zadar winger Hrvoje Custic, who died in hospital earlier this week.

Round-up of the weekend soccer action in eastern Europe:

CROATIA

Weekend matches were postponed as a mark of respect for Zadar winger Hrvoje Custic, who died in hospital earlier this week. Custic had hit his head on a concrete wall during a home match against Cibalia Vinkovci at the end of last month.

The country's football association said Zadar's stadium met basic safety requirements but that they would review regulations to improve safety after the "terrible tragedy".

RUSSIA

Rubin Kazan stretched their perfect start to four matches after goals from defender Dato Kvirkvelia and Sergei Semak helped them to a 2-1 home win over Tomsk.

Dynamo Moscow stayed second, two points behind Rubin, after second-half goals from Aleksandr Dimitko and Argentinian Lenadro Fernandez gave them a 2-0 win at Spartak Nalchik.

Champions Zenit St. Petersburg continued a patchy opening to the season with a 2-2 draw at struggling Shinnik Yaroslavl that left them in the bottom half of the table.

UKRAINE

Champions Dynamo Kiev were held to a 3-3 home draw by Metalurh Donetsk but are now two points clear at the top after rivals Shakhtar Donetsk went down 1-0 at home to Chernomorets Odessa.

Dynamo twice came from behind to lead 3-2 against 10-man Metalurh, who had Serhiy Tkachenko sent off on the hour, but had to settle for a draw after Oleksandr Kosyrin's equaliser.

Shakhtar, who have a game in hand over Dynamo, were sank by a Vladimir Korytko penalty. Third-placed Dnypro are a further two points adrift after a 1-0 defeat at Metalist Kharkhiv.

HUNGARY

A superb Adam Hrepka volley gave leaders MTK Budapest a 1-0 win at Zalaegerszeg and kept them four points ahead of Gyori Eto, who were awarded a 3-0 walkover win over bankrupt Sopron after the bottom side were expelled from the league last month.

Cup winners Sopron were placed under administration after failing to settle their debts to players, staff, the tax office and the Football Association.

Champions Debrecen stayed in touch, six points off the pace, with veteran striker Zsombor Kerekes scoring an opportunist goal in their 1-0 home win over Honved Budapest.

SERBIA

Partizan Belgrade stayed five points clear of champions Red Star after their 1-1 draw in an entertaining city derby and 12 ahead of Vojvodina Novi Sad, who slipped to a 1-0 defeat at lowly Napredak Krusevac.

Igor Burzanovic fired Red Star ahead midway through the second half but Brazilian midfielder Juca kept Partizan in the driving seat with a searing volley on the half hour.

SLOVAKIA

Artmedia Bratislava leapfrogged champions MSK Zilina into pole position after beating them 1-0 away thanks to an early goal by the league's top scorer, Juraj Halenar.

Halenar bagged his 14th of the season when he rounded the keeper and cooly slotted home to lift Artmedia two points above Zilina, the winners of four league titles in the last six years.

ROMANIA

Front-runners CFR Cluj lost 2-1 at home to Pandurii Tirgu Jiu and champions Steaua Bucharest took advantage to go level on points with them after a 2-0 home win over Dacia Mioveni.

Dorin Goian and Pepe Moreno struck for Steaua shortly after the break to throw the title race wide open.