“In extra time, we wanted to win more”
Zenit is one more step closer to the championship this season thanks to the victory over Krasnodar in the 24th round of the Russian Premier League. The meeting ended with the score 3-2 in favor of the hosts, although the intrigue in it continued to live until the very last minutes.
The head coach of the blue-white-blue Sergey Semak pointed to some instability in the actions of his players.
“I think this is really the most emotional match in my coaching career. Well started, created a lot of moments. Unfortunately, we could not score. After the goal (Artem Dziuba. - RT ) began to play worse, missed. At the end of a crazy blow Mauricio Pereira could change everything. But in extra time, I think we wanted to win more, "- quotes the Sport24 mentor.
In addition, he praised the offensive team, who managed to create a lot of dangerous episodes and keep the opponent in suspense.
“We were active in the attack. The game was quite open, technically. We had very sharp moments and the ball somehow did not fly into the goal. We know our problems. It is impossible to protect yourself from missing heads and the dangers at their gates, ”added Semak.
At the moment, Zenit is confidently leading in the standings, having 51 points to its credit. Lokomotiv Moscow is eight points behind him. Nevertheless, the mentor noted that while it is too early to speak about the championship of St. Petersburg.
“We are satisfied with today's victory, but the ending turned out to be crazy. We wanted this, and not just defend a draw. I work to achieve the desired result with those players who are. When we have other opportunities, we will build on them, ”concluded Semak.
One of the authors of the year scored at the gates of Krasnodar was defender Yaroslav Rakitsky, who two days earlier became the father. He shared his emotions about two joyful events in his life at once, however, he stressed that he could not leave the team at such a crucial moment.
“This is truly the best week of my life. Today was a fantastic game. They congratulated my spouse and child in command. Emotions overwhelm, quickly to Peter - and to my wife, ”said the Ukrainian.
The football player paid tribute to the opponent, and also thanked his teammates.
“An active start in the performance of“ Zenith ”? So you need to play football. We attacked, but Matvey Safonov in the first half worked incredible. Could have scored four goals and then calmly finish the game, but the goalkeeper is great. And Dziuba is generally handsome, scored the decisive goal, ”said Rakitsky.
Double in a meeting with “Krasnodar” on his account recorded striker Dziuba. He was brief in his post-match comments, but he expressed the essence of what happened.
"I am glad that I experienced the same emotions as at the World Championships," the striker said.
In such a tense match could not do without controversial episodes. So, the referee Sergey Karasev decided not to remove midfielder Mauricio Pereira after a rough tackle under Magomed Ozdoev. Midfielder did not criticize the judge, but expressed the opinion that the opponent acted against the rules.
“The most important thing that won, indescribable emotions. Was it worth removing Pereira? There is a judicial committee that will watch this episode. I have no complaints about Karasev, he saw what he saw. Today was a lot of wrestling. But the Uruguayan did not act in a sporty way, ”said Ozdoyev.
Many players admitted that victory was extremely difficult for them. So, striker Serdar Azmun stressed that a positive outcome was achieved thanks to the presence in the team of experienced players.
“It is a very difficult match, but the main thing is that we acted with great desire. Tried, but Safonov pulled out difficult balls. To be honest, the first time I see such a game goalkeeper. The score was 2-2, we did not lose and continued to fight to the end, ”the Iranian summed up.
"Gave all the strength and emotions"
In the camp of "Krasnodar" reigned a different atmosphere. According to the head coach of the team, Murad Musayev, his team did not have enough endurance in the end of the meeting, which led to a missed goal.
“We had to play to win until the end and wanted to do it. But you need to be calm, part and prepare your attack. There was no hurry. There is nothing to be especially pleased with today, ”the specialist said.
Nevertheless, despite the defeat, he noted the positive attitude of his players, who did everything possible to win.
“We need to play more strictly on the defensive and less to allow the opponent. I am pleased that they gave all their strength and emotions, the audience saw it. But we lack the reserve, as a number of important players, such as Ari, Kristoffer Olsson and Charles Kabore, were injured. It is difficult to make up for these losses, ”he added.
The backlog of Krasnodar from Zenit in the standings has increased to nine points. Musaev noted that the team had practically lost the chances for the championship and will now fight for getting into the Europa League.
Midfielder Viktor Klasson noted that the defensive line players could not cope with the pressure of the blue-white-blue attackers.
“For some reason, we allowed Zenit to create many chances, could not neutralize Dzyuba, allowed him a lot. But we played well in the attack. Our second goal is the beauty is similar to the goal of Shapi "Valencia"? There is no intention to compare them when you do not win, ”said the Swede.
One of the best players of the meeting in the "Krasnodar" can certainly be considered Safonov. However, the goalkeeper himself admitted that he did not feel like a hero, since the match was tense during the whole 90 minutes.
“I waited more for this to stop, because we were driven in the first 20 minutes. Hoped that we just break the game. What happened during Dziuba's goal? I do not know, probably, he just won the position and scored. It was hard to get this ball, you need to look at the replay, why it happened, ”the goalkeeper said.