“The result is good, but it was possible to play a little lower”: what they said at Zenit after a draw with Lyon in the Champions League

“I feel that Zenit has not played in the Champions League for a long time”

The match with Lyon turned out to be ambiguous for Zenit. On the one hand, a draw away from one of the strongest French teams can be called a successful result. On the other hand, it was the Russian team who managed to open the score, but Magomed Ozdoev’s optional foul in his own penalty area immediately after the break helped the hosts recoup. However, Zenit head coach Sergei Semak at a post-match press conference admitted that he was pleased with the outcome of the meeting.

"Difficult game. I think we could both win and be defeated. We missed with an optional penalty, which we ourselves organized. Lyon has a young, fast team, while we have a more age-related team. I had to make adjustments during the meeting. Both we and the opponent had more moments. In general, the result is fair. “Lyon” exerted pressure, but in terms of the number of acute moments, in my opinion, there was equality, ”the coach summed up.

An additional fly in the ointment for “Zenith” was the injury of Serdar Azmun. The Iranian suffered damage at the end of the first half, but remained on the field and scored, and asked for a replacement after the break. Semak explained why he did not immediately remove the striker.

“While the muscles were hot, he did not understand the seriousness of the damage. Stayed on the field and scored. After the break, he returned and felt that a replacement was needed, ”said the specialist.

Semak also explained why in the match with Lyon he decided to bet on a scheme with three central defenders, according to which Zenit practically did not play with him.

“You should not expect that now we will use this arrangement in every meeting. We understood how strong and young the Lyon attack players were. So the exit of Vyacheslav Karavaev and the displacement of Douglas Costa are caused by a change in the scheme. I think everyone played normally. This arrangement was not prepared for long, because we did not have much time. We tried it in training and decided to apply it, ”said Semak.

Finally, the coach assessed the prospects of the wards in the group stage of the Champions League and noted that Zenit will have a very difficult time.

“Of course, it is felt that Zenit has not played in the Champions League for a long time. There are completely different speeds, today we were confronted by players of a very high level. Sometimes the game was revealed, there was not enough balance. We have a difficult group. We will work to become stronger. First place in the group? We do not want to build illusions. It should go from game to game. The level of teams is comparable, and therefore we will see what the result will be. In theory, anything is possible, ”said Semak.

“And how about you? You don’t know how to relish such programs ”

As for the Zenit players, they, like Semak, were generally satisfied with the outcome of the meeting. At the same time, forward Artyom Dziuba emphasized that the St. Petersburg team could act more boldly.

“Honestly, I did not fully feel the atmosphere of the Champions League. Either they played too early, or something else ... A draw is probably a good result, but we did it, and then we got an optional penalty. “Lyon” attacks were quite restrained, and something in front of them was missing. I had a hard time, because when taking the ball there was no one to recoup. I think it was possible to play a little poorer. But, again, a draw is a good result, especially today many of us made their debut in the Champions League. Here, of course, other speeds, at home, teams try to act aggressively. “Lyon” is a playing team, but not always manages to refine it in defense, and we could take advantage of it, ”the striker summed up the meeting.

And talking about the state of health of Azmun, Artyom could not do without a traditional joke.

“This is his chip. It creeps away at death, then flies out, clogs and creeps out again. Like a phoenix. Maybe it euthanizes everyone like that? Cool that scored. And my heel is like you? You don’t know how to relish such programs! ”Added Dzyuba.

But the team captain Branislav Ivanovich complained about the lost victory.

“The result, especially after such a long absence in the Champions League, can be called good. If we had more experience, we could have won. Every mistake is punished here. They controlled the game at the beginning, then scored and slightly missed the initiative. I think the transition to the scheme with three central defenders paid off. But when you enter the field with new partners, concentration should be prohibitive. We can be satisfied, but we are obliged to win the next game at home at Benfica, ”the defender said.

Another experienced footballer in the Zenit team, Yuri Zhirkov, complained of minor errors in the actions of the partners, but positively assessed the team’s rookie game.

“It's good that they scored the first point. It turned out a good game, but in the end they could snatch victory. Dziuba had a good moment. In general, there were minor errors, optional loss of the ball. Of course, the excitement affected. But we disassembled the opponent and started from this. As for the scheme of the game with three central defenders, it was unusual to act this way, but we completed the task. And Vyacheslav Karavaev and Yordan Osorio played at a decent level, ”Zhirkov emphasized.

In turn, Karavaev himself was delighted with the debut in the Champions League and admitted that he had long dreamed about it.

“The emotions are positive, the only thing - I could not win, but I also consider a draw on the road in a match with a strong opponent as a satisfactory result. It remains to prepare for the next match. It was a bit unexpected to be in the starting lineup, but overall I was ready to play, so everything worked out. Yes, and in the arrangement with the three central defenders, I felt comfortable, although maybe somewhere there was not enough physics. Perhaps for this reason, the coach replaced. I have long said that the Champions League for any player is an incredible experience. Emotions, stadiums, fans - beauty and celebration are everywhere here, ”the defender emphasized.