“Zenith” ahead of schedule became the champion of Russia, having beaten in the away match of the 26th round of the RPL “Krasnodar” with a score of 4: 2. Throughout the night, St. Petersburg celebrated the conquest of the second consecutive title.
The meeting ended late in the evening, but the fans of blue-white-blue were not up to sleep. After the final whistle, they took to the central streets of the city to celebrate a joyful event together. Victory exclamations, songs and chants were heard from everywhere. Crowds of fans in club symbols walked around the northern capital, and car drivers honked loudly, thus expressing the joy of victory.
In honor of the winners, the Gazprom Arena stadium, as well as the Lakhta Center tower, were highlighted with blue, white, blue and gold flowers, and the inscription “Zenith is a champion!” Shone on their facades. In addition, the team’s flag was hoisted on the highest flagpole in Europe, located in the western part of Krestovsky Island.
“Today, the St. Petersburg flagpole is a champion in Russia and Europe. Its height reaches 105 m and allows you to raise a flag measuring 20x30 m. The height of the flagpole was not chosen by chance - it corresponds to the length of the football field of the stadium and the height of Gazprom Arena pylons, the club’s press service said.
The main celebration took place in Pulkovo, where Zenit flew from Krasnodar. It is worth noting that the team itself began to celebrate the championship in the locker room. Football players and coaching staff doused themselves with champagne, threw Sergey Semak into the air, and team captain Branislav Ivanovich jokingly threw a towel at the mentor during an interview. The players did not forget about another important event in the life of a mentor: a few hours before the match, his granddaughter was born.
Semak's wife, Anna, called on fans to meet the team at the airport, where she herself went with the children. “Today we did not sleep from four o'clock, gave birth to a child, and now we have given birth to the championship! Hooray! We are the champions! ”Semak shared her impressions.
Almost two thousand fans followed her example and began to gather at Pulkovo long before the arrival of the team. Around 3:30 in the night, the players began to leave the airport building. Dozens of fires were immediately lit in the square and a banner with the inscription “Champions” rose.
Before the exit, microphones and speakers were installed and each member of the team could turn to the fans. This opportunity was taken by Ivanovich, striker Serdar Azmun, as well as Semak, to whom congratulations on the birth of the granddaughter again sounded. After welcoming remarks, the players picked up the fires and, together with the crowd, started chanting chants.
Fans did not let the champions go for 20 minutes. To the legendary song of Queen - We Are The Champions, the players walked along the living corridor to the club bus. Before landing, striker Malkom, defender Douglas Santos and midfielder Wilmar Barrios pleased the audience with a victory dance.
Due to not the most convenient time, not everyone was able to attend the solemn meeting. However, Zenit promised that the celebration would continue on Wednesday, after the first home match of blue-white-blue champions with Sochi.
- Fans met Zenit players after an early victory in the Russian championship
“A gift to the city for the 95th anniversary of the club”
To the congratulations of “Zenith” joined his eminent fans. One of the first to comment on the victory over Krasnodar was People's Artist of the RSFSR Mikhail Boyarsky. He said that the wards of Semak once again demonstrated their class, breaking away from the nearest pursuer in the standings by 13 points.
“Can we say that Peter dominates Moscow for the second year in a row? You need to talk about this! A huge gift to the city for the 95th anniversary of the club. Did they take first place again? We need to play like Zenit, maybe others will succeed. In the meantime, let the guys train. Winning a championship not at our stadium is even better. Many wanted it to be in St. Petersburg. I believe that the team, even without the help of the fans, has achieved what it deserves, ”Boyarsky quotes the“ Championship ”.
Well-known TV presenter Mikhail Shatz noted the contribution of each player to the victory, and also emphasized that blue-white-blue is one of the most balanced RPL teams.
“This Zenith is like a car. In Russia, for sure. I really want the team to project this to the European competition. I really want the same quality football there. Fans can demand a withdrawal from the Champions League group. Steps have been taken in this direction. I hope that something like this can be expected this year, ”suggested Schatz.
The winners were also congratulated on the show “Evening Urgant”, the host of which Ivan Urgant has also been a fan of the team for a long time.
ZENIT - CHAMPION 🏆 @zenit_spb
Petersburg football club for 4 rounds before the end of the season ahead of schedule won the championship of the Russian Premier League! Congratulations to the blue-white-blue 💪🏻 pic.twitter.com/cr7QEaCqRc
Former world boxing champion Nikolai Valuev also contacted Zenit via social networks, accompanied by the # stability hashtag, skater Elizaveta Tuktamysheva posted a photo of the team with a concise signature “Hurray!”, And commentator Gennady Orlov noted the superiority of St. Petersburg football over Moscow.
“The capital moved to Petersburg and stood firmly on its feet. This is a joy for the football community, even for those who are not rooting for Zenit. I can’t name the best player - we can note the contribution of several players to the championship, ”Orlov quotes“ Match TV ”.