Dinamo Zagreb vs. Real Madrid: Dinamo Impresses in Narrow Loss

Dinamo Zagreb was at a huge talent disadvantage in their match against Real Madrid, yet they battled, persevered and hung on for an impressive 1-0 loss.

I think the term "moral victory" can be overused in sports, but this is one time where it just might be appropriate.

Real Madrid controlled the flow of this match and the majority of possession, but Dinamo battled them on defense.

Zagreb's goalkeeper Ivan Kelava was fantastic in goal. He made some superb stops in this one. Dinamo's entire defense did what they could to prevent this one from getting out of hand, and they had their work cut out for them; Real controlled 61 percent of possession and 13 more shots on goal.

While Dinamo's defense was solid, their offense was not able to help them out; they were inept and unable to hold on to possession. They gained a man advantage in the 70th minute, but were still unable to capitalize on the offensive end. 

Dinamo certainly saw that they have a lot of ground to make up in order to hang with the top clubs, but they can keep their heads high knowing they belong on the field with them.

They have already been making huge strides this year, and they can gain confidence from this result moving forward.

Dinamo is currently first in the Croatian league with six wins out of seven and a draw. This was Zagreb's third Champions League match of the 2011-2012 campaign. They split an early pair against Malmo.