There can have been few such low-key openings to the defence of European football's most coveted prize. It was bad, but as the majority of the crowd who were reduced to nervous silence throughout would testify, it could have been a great deal worse for Manchester United.
This was a game United never seemed likely to win and yet one they could easily have lost so the occasion held much relief and actually yielded a tangible bonus for the home side.
It was only as this extraordinarily dull tie neared its end that United awoke from their slumber, Dwight Yorke striking the face of the crossbar with eight minutes remaining.
The pinning of Alex Ferguson's team sheet to the back of the United dressing-room door shortly before kick-off brought only cold comfort for the man who thought he was to be king, Mark Bosnich.
Less than two months after being feted as the natural, longterm successor to Peter Schmeichel, the Australian was overlooked on this occasion to accommodate Raimond van der Gouw who deputised for the ineligible Massimo Taibi.
After spending the previous 24 hours hinting that Jonathan Greening would be included on the right side of midfield so that David Beckham could be released to forge a central pairing with Paul Scholes, Ferguson left him on the substitutes' bench.
But he did find room for two of his new wave: Michael Clegg stepped in at right back in place of the injured Gary Neville and Mark Wilson was asked to cover for Roy Keane.
When Keane is not playing United miss his belligerence and there were times during a technically accomplished, if dull, opening half when Ossie Ardiles's side threatened to steal the midfield initiative.
Certainly, they were marvellously organised and had they had been capable of adding a genuine cutting edge to their game they may well have punished United's initial hesitancy.
United slept through the opening 20 minutes, stirring just once when Beckham set up Andy Cole for a low drive which struck a Croatian leg.
Beckham moved himself to the hub of practically everything which although worthwhile, meant that he was too often instinctively drawn out of position in an attempt to engender a sense of urgency, to increase the tempo.
But the ink was still dry on the opening chapter of United's European campaign when the first groans of disappointment began to ripple through an uncomfortable, and clearly perplexed, audience.
There were a couple of half chances and the harder United tried to fashion something even resembling an opening the more pronounced their sense of desperation became.
Dwight Yorke personified the malaise, a listless figure who required three touches to establish control but just one to needlessly surrender possession.
Arguably the best chance of the first half fell to him but having drifted forward to reach a Ryan Giggs cross from the left, he fluffed his shot.
The suspicion that one bright move, one decisive thrust, might just prove sufficient to move Zagreb into the box seat, grew as the match dragged on.
United were so poor that the Croatians clearly began to believe that here was a game not for the drawing, but for the taking.
Teddy Sheringham was both talisman and catalyst towards the end of last season and his introduction on the hour did at least increase United's options.
Cole should probably have ended the stalemate after 63 minutes but after collecting a Beckham pass and then turning smartly away from Stjepan Tomas, he drilled his crisp, low drive far too close to goalkeeper Drazen Ladic.
MANCHESTER UNITED: Van Der Gouw, Clegg (Fortune 76), Berg, Stam, Neville, Beckham, Wilson (Sheringham 60), Scholes, Giggs, Cole, Yorke. Subs Not Used: Bosnich, Irwin, Curtis, Cruyff, Greening.
CROATIA ZAGREB: Ladic, Tokic, Juric, Mujcin (Mumlek 69), Rukavina (Sokota 89), Saric, Simic (Mikic 67), Cvitanovic, Tomas, Biscan, Jurcic. Subs Not Used: Vasilj, Sedloski, Sabic, Jelicic. Booked: Mujcin.
Referee: N Levnikov (Russian).
Alex Ferguson did his best to put a brave face on a bitterly disappointing display by Manchester United. After the Old Trafford stalemate he said: "Credit to Croatia, they sat deep, defended very well with lots of bodies in midfield and made it difficult for us to play.
"Maybe that's what a lot of teams will try to do to us this season after what we have achieved.
"So we are going to have to face new challenges. It used to happen like this to us in the league with teams coming to Old Trafford and just sitting on the edge of their box and defending.
"We will just have to find another way of getting over the problem. We didn't play that well and we will certainly improve.
"It was a disappointing result but not too disappointing a performance. They had just one player up front and too many in midfield. That did give us problems and we did improve in the second half.
"But we still didn't play to our capabilities. However, we did get something from the game. You are always fearful when you don't play well that you can be punished.
"But they only threatened to do that in the last few minutes. We had to change things, to give them something else to think about by putting Teddy Sheringham on and playing three up.
"Those are the risks you have to take and it almost worked when Teddy had that chance in the last minute that hit the 'keeper's heel and went wide."
He added: "All credit to them. They set out to play like that. We did expect them to play with two men up front, but that's the sort of thing that happens to a team who have won the Champions League.
"We have earned that sort of respect, teams will come and try to play with one forward against us."
Croatia boss Ossie Ardiles, a coach who has been under intense pressure, was delighted with the display.
He said: "I'm extremely happy with the result. It is very difficult to face the champions of Europe on their own ground, we all knew what to expect.
"We had to absorb a lot of pressure and we handled it well. I am very proud of my team because this is an intimidating place to play. But we played well, passed the ball and worked so hard. We fought when we had to fight and for me it was a very nice result.
"As for suggestions that I'm under pressure, I'm afraid it comes with the territory at this level.
