Ibrahimovic carries PSG past Zagreb
Zlatan Ibrahimovic turned on the style as Paris St. Germain earned an impressive and valuable Champions League 2-0 win in Croatia against a lackluster Dinamo Zagreb.
Sweden international Ibrahimovic, considered to be one of the game's most enigmatic strikers, seems to have found a home with French club and has been their stand-out player this season.
He was brilliant on Wednesday night, scoring his 11th goal of the season and then setting one up for Jeremy Menez, as Carlo Ancelotti's men moved into second place in Group A, three points behind leaders Porto but crucially three and six ahead of two two Dinamos of Zagreb and Kiev.
Ante Cacic Sova's side had no answer to Ibrahimovic on Wednesday night and only the brilliance of goalkeeper Ivan Kelava kept the scoreline respectable.
PSG gave a nod towards what was coming as early as the second minute when Ibrahimovic's shot from just inside the area was saved by Kelava.
Dinamo actually responded positively, with Domagoj Vida going close with a header, but Ibrahimovic was soon working the home goalkeeper again, with his edge-of-the-box piledriver kept out.
Again Dinamo had a chance of their own straight after, Salvatore Sirigu doing well to tip over a vicious corner from Jorge Sammir, before Kelava was again getting his gloves dirty, this time to deny Mathieu Bodmer.
It was becoming a one-man show and the Croatia international was then going down to keep out Menez, before Ibrahimovic drilled a shot into the body of Ante Puljic and then over the bar as the pressure continued.
The goal was always going to come and it did in the 32nd minute, with Ibrahimovic on the end of a pass from Menez, finally finding a way past Kelava from 12 yards.
It would have been unfair for Ibrahimovic to hog all the glory, though, and two minutes before the break he returned the favour, playing in Menez from the left and the former Roma midfielder did the rest from close in.
PSG would have been three ahead at the break were it not for a fine Kelava save from an Ibrahimovic free-kick, while after that the sides generated a flurry of chances, with Menez, Marcelo Brozovic, Jorge Sammir and Javier Pastore all whistling efforts either over or wide.
Not content with his goal Ibrahimovic piled on for more, going close with a 12-yard hit, while Kelava again excelled as he denied Pastore, with Thiago Silva then having a shot deflected away by Marcelo Brozovic as the visitors finished as they had started.