For Zenit head coach Sergei Semak, the day of victory in the Russian championship was doubly happy, since on Sunday he also became grandfather for the first time. In his first comment after winning the title, he admitted that his emotions overwhelmed him.
“The emotions are pleasant, double. Of course, this is one of the happiest days in my life. I became a grandfather for the first time, and we became champions. Emotions beyond the limits. The guys deserve what I congratulate them on. Taking this opportunity, I congratulate my daughter on the birth of my daughter, my granddaughter. They made me truly happy, as did the team, ”Semak said on the Match Premier broadcast.
The St. Petersburg mentor refuted the opinion that an early victory in the RPL was given to the team easily. He also agreed that his wards had a poor first half of the match with Krasnodar.
“Does the championship look easy?” This is visibility. There are no simple championships, and any RPL coach will repeat my words. There was pressure, and sometimes lacked emotion. Being ahead is always difficult. In my opinion, we had a very bad first half today. But in the second one they radically changed the game, scored and brought the matter to an absolutely deserved victory. As for the possible dominance in the coming years, it is not my business to give forecasts, let the journalists do it, ”added Semak.
The author of the double, in a meeting with Krasnodar, Serdar Azmun, admitted that the impressions of the championship were not affected by the situation in which he had to end the season. He also noted that he was already aiming for a victory in the Russian Cup, and commented on the mistake of Yuri Gazinsky, which allowed the Iranian to open an account in the match.
“Of course, I'm very happy. To become a champion again is indescribable, despite the situation in the country and the world. We feel our fans in our hearts. Congratulations to all with the championship - players, management, fans. Fantastic feelings. Goal after Gazinsky's mistake? Any player is wrong. Gazinsky is a good football player, but it so happened that he was wrong and I scored. My goal this season was the championship team. The next goal is to win the Cup. I’ll keep silent about what’s going on in the locker room. But this is a joke. Naturally, everyone is happy there, everything is fine, ”Azmun said.
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Publication by zenit_spb (@zenit_spb) Jul 5, 2020 at 12:45 PDT
Alexey Sutormin became the champion of Russia in his first season after moving to Zenit. He said that all his life he went to this achievement and called the victory of his club deserved. The midfielder also remembered his goals against Krasnodar.
“Emotions cannot be expressed in words. This is the result of the work that you do all your life. God grant that this was not the last championship. Now there is time to rejoice, and we will do it. As for the goal, Dziuba threw the ball well, I asked Malcolm to divert attention, the defenders remained in place, and I managed to get one on one. He scored a goal calmly. Artyom and Malcom are worth noting, like the rest of the team in the second half. I think this is a well-deserved championship. Everyone should be happy for us, including ourselves, ”said Sutormin.
The footballer also noted that he was calm about the fact that the championship had to be issued on the road, and not after the home match. The player noted that the victory over Krasnodar only strengthened the sensation of winning the trophy.
“The season was hard, but Zenit is a top club. I went here to fight and become a champion. I am glad that I am in this team and that it all happened so. We will fly home now and will celebrate with the team and family. I think there will be a common dinner. While everyone in the locker room, shouting, rejoicing. I think it’s even good that we won the championship in a match with Krasnodar, and not at home. And they did it on the game. So emotions are even better, ”Sutormin said.
Goalkeeper Andrei Lunev talked about the reflected penalty and noted that the second victory of Zenit in the Russian championship was harder for him than the first last year.
“The emotions are similar compared to last year's season. It was hard then, even harder here. Heat, exhausting game, emotions. Now the devastation, well, there is joy. From the penalty spot it was possible to navigate. I removed my hands there, but their player framed. He hit the ball with an edge, losing his breath. Lucky. But every penalty I know in advance where to jump. Which one is there to respond? I have a bad reaction, ”the goalkeeper admitted.
Zenit defender Yaroslav Rakitsky thanked fans from St. Petersburg for believing in the future success of the team.
"Champions! "Team, fans, Peter, thanks for the faith, for the support!" - Ukrainian wrote on Instagram.
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Posted by Yaroslav_Rakitskyy_official (@rakitskyy_official) Jul 5, 2020 at 1:00 PDT
Briefly commented on the success of Zenit and its top scorer Artyom Dziuba.
“We are the champions,” the forward wrote in his social networks.
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Publication by Artem Dzyuba (@ artem.dzyuba) Jul 5, 2020 at 1:29 PDT
The head coach of Krasnodar Murad Musaev said that his team could not recover from the light goals of Zenit. He noted that he expected more than two goals from the team. The specialist also told why Vanderson hit the penalty spot, as a result of which he could not beat Lunev.
“The first half went well. The score was not in our favor, but control was ours. We needed to act better in the attack. Probably, simple balls broke us. It seems to compare, then skip. These are the moments after which it is difficult to readjust. We had the opportunity to score more than two goals. We have penalty shooters Berg, Wanderson and Villena. Vanderson scored the last penalty in a friendly match with Sochi, so he hit today. Did you rate this match as special? Each match is special with a champion. The game turned out to be bright, but unfortunately, with the wrong result for us, ”Sports Express quoted Musayev as saying.