Doubly Azmuna and Utkina, Dziuba's goal and Vanderson's penalty shot: how Zenit beat Krasnodar and became the champion of Russia

The mood of “Zenith” and the difficult situation of “Krasnodar”

The match between “Krasnodar” and “Zenith” Russian football fans were waiting with great interest, because he could determine the fate of the championship. 

After the resumption of the season, Petersburgers did everything to guarantee themselves gold as soon as possible. Wards of Sergei Semak won three victories in three meetings, while the closest pursuers regularly lost points. 

So, “Lokomotiv” scored only two points in the home matches with “Wings of the Soviets” and “Sochi” in the week. And “Krasnodar” had to miss the first two rounds after the restart of the championship due to the outbreak of coronavirus in the camp of rivals, “Dynamo” and “Orenburg”. Then the team of Murad Musaev in a tense match with “Rostov” allowed the opponent to recoup from the penalty spot in the time added by the referee. 

Thus, Zenit was able to secure a championship in case of victory in Krasnodar. However, the hosts also needed points, because they are fighting with Lokomotiv for silver and a direct ticket to the group stage of the Champions League. On the eve of the reporting meeting, Krasnodar was four points behind the railroad, but had two matches in reserve.

In addition, the southerners probably wanted to take revenge from the champion for a disappointing defeat in April last year. Then the teams held one of the best matches of the season, and the guests managed to snatch victory in the 95th minute - 3: 2. This success actually opened the way for them to the championship. 

Moreover, Zenit won in Krasnodar and the year before last the RPL. Then three points brought Petersburgers goals Alexander Erokhin and Dmitry Poloz - 2: 0. 

As for the starting lineups for the reporting game, Musaev and Semak failed to truly surprise each other. The home team manager let out the same players from the first minutes that they played a few days ago in Rostov-on-Don. Petersburgers also relied on proven fighters.  

Stunning save by Lunev and the grossest mistake of Gazinsky

The first half gave the fans a real sight. It had everything: gross errors, goals and an unrealized penalty. Before the match started, Yuri Gazinsky made a serious blot at his goal. He inaccurately rolled the ball back to Matvey Safonov, and Serdar Azmun managed to intercept the ball and score. 

Using a gift from the opponent, “Zenith” retreated to his half of the field and gave the initiative to the owners. Even taking the ball away, Petersburgers did not try to escape at any cost in a counterattack, but calmly controlled it in their half of the field. 

However, the advantage of “Krasnodar” was becoming more serious. Musaev’s wards looked confidently in the center of the field, where Daniil Utkin acted magnificently. And on the left flank was active, as in the match with Rostov, Vanderson. So, in the middle of the inning after a cross from the Brazilian from the front, Marcus Berg and Christopher Olsson miraculously did not reach the ball.

But soon the pressure of the southerners still bore fruit, and one of the most active players in the team, Utkin, managed to equalize. The hosts literally tore the left flank of the opponent’s defense. Olsson gave the penetrating pass into the penalty area for the move to the attack Sergey Petrov, who connected to the attack, and he from the front rolled the ball to Utkin.

However, Zenit also behaved very competently in this situation. Feeling that the opponent caught the courage, Petersburgers took the ball and pushed the game away from their goal. 

However, Douglas’s gross mistake intervened in the calm course of the match. The Brazilian inadvertently threw the ball to Lunev with his chest, and the goalkeeper managed to get ahead of Berg. The goalkeeper of the guests had no choice but to break the rules. 

Confident Vanderson approached the “point” and struck not in the best way: to his left corner at a convenient height for Lunev. Andrei coped not only with the shot of the Brazilian, but also with the finishing, and even received minor damage. Krasnodar has not already sold the fourth eleven-meter in the current season of the RPL.

And in addition to the first half of the meeting, the famous futuristic principle “Do not you score - you score” worked. After the blow of Dziuba, the ball fell into the hand of Tonni de Vilhene, and Sergey Karasev awarded a penalty in favor of Zenit. Dziuba, unlike Vanderson, struck the center without a chance for Safonov. 

Successful replacements of Semak and tired of Krasnodar

During the break, Semak made a rather unexpected substitution. Instead of Ozdoev, who was not conducting the most successful match, he threw Yuri Zhirkov into battle. At the same time, Douglas moved from the left flank of the defense to the support zone. 

However, this castling almost immediately led to a missed goal. Yaroslav Rakitsky made a loss in midfield, and Krasnodar carried out a swift attack on the right flank. Then Olsson in touch transferred the ball to the center on Utkina, and he delivered a magnificent blow to the near nine from outside the penalty area and scored the first double in his career in the RPL. 

But the joy of the owners was short-lived. They instantly crossed out all their efforts with gross errors in defense. After a left-handed bid, Dziube was allowed to win the horse fight, and no one prevented Azmuna from a couple of meters to send the ball under the crossbar.

After that, it seemed as if they had released air from the southerners. Perhaps the lack of gaming practice affected. Yes, and Berg in front stopped clinging to the ball. The guests calmly acted on the opponent and, when given the opportunity, organized quick counterattacks. 

One of these ended with the goal of Aleksey Sutormin, who replaced. At the same time, Dziuba performed an effective transfer to him, whose assets now include 16 goals in the RPL and 11 passes. The forward leads both in the tournament scorers and in the list of the best assistants.

In a desperate attempt to save the game, Musaev immediately threw three fresh players into the battle: Remy Cabella, Manuel Fernandes and Nikita Sergeyev. And a little later, instead of a tired Berg, German Onugh entered the field. Krasnodar regained the ball, but the team had no real chance to escape. Southerners can only rely on Vanderson's unrealized penalty. But they rejoiced at the misfire of a direct competitor in Lokomotiv. 

And Zenit became the champion of Russia for the second time in a row for four rounds before the finish. Now Petersburgers can calmly finish the season and prepare for a new one.