“Vasin is not the level of the army”: what was said after the Zenit’s major victory over CSKA in the RPL match

In the central match of the 23rd round of the Russian Premier League, Zenit from St. Petersburg defeated CSKA in Moscow (4-0). Branislav Ivanovich and Malkom were already goals in the opening. In addition to the first half, the Brazilian scored twice, and in the fourth compensated minute of the match, Sebastian Driussi scored a penalty. Shortly before that, defender Vadim Karpov was removed as part of CSKA.

Thanks to the success in Moscow, Zenit increased the lead over the closest pursuer of Lokomotiv to 12 points. In this case, the "railroad" have a game in stock. On Sunday, June 21, they will receive “Orenburg” in their field in Cherkizovo.

Despite a major victory, Zenit head coach Sergei Semak admitted that at certain times, his team looked worse than CSKA. In his opinion, it is still difficult to assess the physical condition of the players. However, it’s not only the conditions that are important: the scored balls inspire confidence, added Semak. The specialist counts through the matches to improve the condition of his football players.

“As for the beginning of the development of the attack, Artyom Dziuba was shifting to the flank. To score, he needs to be at the gate more often. Today he played useful, assisted. We showed ourselves as a team. This is a very important, necessary victory, ”said Semak.

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Publication by PFC CSKA Moscow (@pfc_cska) Jun 20, 2020 at 11:10 PDT

The wards of Semak also willingly shared their impressions. So, the author of the first goal Branislav Ivanovich, recognized as the best player of the meeting, assured: the Zenitists did everything in their power, and his goal was the result of a simulated combination.

“We started the game very well, scored first. We played on the counterattack. The match turned out to be very difficult in physical terms. Not enough of our fans. Without them, this is another sport. We hope that the virus will calm down, and they will be present at the next home game, ”said the Serbian legionnaire on the Match Premier broadcast.

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Publication by zenit_spb (@zenit_spb) Jun 20, 2020 at 12:08 pm PDT

Defender Vyacheslav Karavaev praised his partner, who took advantage of a good serve and was there, "where necessary."

“An early goal helped us in the future. Then they scored more and began to play much more confidently, more calmly, they controlled the game. We were getting ready. I think that they moved well, were physically well prepared, ”he stated.

Another Zenit Daler Kuzyaev admitted that the headquarters of Semak played up the starting lineup for a week.

“Zenith” could win more. Several times Petersburgers missed from a vantage point, or CSKA goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev reliably acted. In addition, when the score was 2-0, the referee did not count the goal of Serdar Azmun in favor of the guests.

Zenit CEO Alexander Medvedev called the victory over CSKA "a long-awaited event." He recalled that the blue-white-blue had not yet won at the VEB Arena, but in general the previous time they defeated the army in Moscow in 2014.

“Today we scored four goals. Most importantly, the team looked very fresh, it was charged for victory, it moved well and created moments. Well, the fact that not all of them were implemented, so we did not play with the youth team of CSKA! The bill speaks for itself, ”RIA Novosti quotes Medvedev as saying.

Former Zenit player Andrei Arshavin drew attention to the fact that in the second half, CSKA created only one moment. He also singled out Artyom Dziuba, who "won almost the entire horse fight."

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Publication by zenit_spb (@zenit_spb) Jun 20, 2020 at 12:29 pm PDT

CSKA mentor Viktor Goncharenko did not attend the press conference. According to the head of the department of the army club's public relations department, Sergei Aksyonov, the Belarusian specialist felt unwell. Therefore, one of his assistants, Sergey Ovchinnikov, answered the questions of journalists. He emphasized that many players of the team made mistakes in this match.

“We will understand and draw conclusions. Quick goals are always not very good. Zenit was able to use our weaknesses, certain mistakes were made in defense, but it turned out as it happened. This match will provide great food for thought, ”summarized Ovchinnikov.

Goncharenko, the head of the Borisov BATE, Kuban, Ural and Ufa, was defeated by Zenit for the sixth time with six draws and only one victory. Semak beat his former club for the second time.

The Icelander Hördur Magnusson did not hide the fact that Goncharenko was very upset by the unsuccessful result.

“We played against a really strong team, the leader of the championship. Before the break, everything was very bad, but the second half was much better. We will not give up and will go towards our goal, ”he explained.

In general, the players of CSKA after the match were not eager to communicate with the press. Fans, meanwhile, criticized the defenders of the team for a sloppy game and joked about the need to return the brothers Vasily and Alexei Berezutsky, who turned 38 on June 20, to the end of their careers.

Former captain of CSKA, champion of the USSR-1991 Dmitry Kuznetsov explained the mistakes of 20-year-old Igor Diveev and 17-year-old Vadim Karpov by their age. At the same time, he criticized the actions of their 31-year-old defensive partner Viktor Vasin.

“Diveev, Karpov. Youth ... Hence the mistakes. This is normal so far. Or do you want them to act now, like Branislav Ivanovich and Yaroslav Rakitsky? Early. It is necessary to gain experience. They were also lucky that at such a young age they got into such a club. As for Vasin, he makes the same mistakes from year to year. I immediately said - this is not the level of CSKA. Just like Nikita Chernov, who is no longer on the team, ”Kuznetsova quotes SE.

Former midfielder of Zenit, Spartak and Krasnodar, now television expert Vladimir Bystrov, in turn, concluded that CSKA simply had no one to strengthen the game: “The army team had two people more or less alive. How can you lose concentration in such a crucial match when the Champions League is at stake? I think that CSKA has two central defenders a bit burnt out. ”

The match gathered many VIPs of Russian football in the VIP box, including RFU President Alexander Dyukov and head coach of the national team Stanislav Cherchesov with assistant Miroslav Romashchenko.

In the next round, Zenit will host Samara's “Wings of the Soviets” on Krestovsky Island, and CSKA must play at the VTB Arena with Dynamo.